RARE GREAT EXHIBITION LONDON 1851 CRYSTAL PALACE SOUVENIR SHELL CASKET

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RARE GREAT EXHIBITION LONDON 1851 CRYSTAL PALACE SOUVENIR SHELL CASKET:
$142.99

This charming and extremely rare souvenir casket is part of a small collection of antique pieces relating to the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851.Largely the inspiration of Queen Victoria’s beloved husband, Prince Albert who worked so hard to bring it about, the Exhibition was one of the great success stories of the Victorian era with some 6 million people flocking to Hyde Park in London to view the astonishing and vast variety of products and artifacts, works of Art and engineering engendered by the Industrial Revolution and created by Britain, the countries in the British Empire and Europe. It was the great showcase of the success of the British Empire of the time.To commemorate that great event, souvenirs of all kinds were produced, and this little casket is one of them. It is a very rare casket, rare because it is made of such fragile material and yet it has survived for 167 years in remarkably good condition. It is essentially made of robust cardboard and consists of a box lined in a creamy, silky surfaced paper, edged with gold paper mounted on a base with sloping sides. The box is decorated all over with tiny shells with larger shells at each corner of the hinged lid. There is a padded Mid blue velvet plaque/cushion in the centre of the lid which bears the message:
“PRESENT
FROM THE
CRYSTAL PALACE”

The opening section of the box is bound in gilded paper. The base of the box is undecorated, plain paper over cardboard.The casket measures 20.5cms (app. 8”) by 16cms (6¼”) at the base and is 7.5cms (3”) tall. It is light in weight at only 194gms. ConditionThis casket is surprisingly good condition. The tiny shells are mostly intact, but one is missing on one side of the base edge and a second one from one corner of the upper section next to one of the large corner shells. One small shell on another corner of the base is actually present but has possibly been re-stuck at some stage and is not aligned with its fellows. The little blue ribbon meant to hold the lid in place when it is open has come adrift at one end but could easily be re-attached. Otherwise, there is no damage or loss. The blue paper covering on the sloping section is in very good condition as is the patterned white and gold edge frieze on that section and the paper covering on the base.PostagePostal charges are based on the weight of this casket, fully packed. As this is a light weight item, postage is not prohibitive. I always, as a matter of policy, use a ‘signed for’ and ‘tracked’ postal option and insure for the full value. These more fragile pieces require good packaging and plenty of it. I pack most carefully in tough new packaging for which I make no charge. Please note that I have successfully sent fragile items all over the world for many years. I have also learned that with fragile items, it is safer and more prudent to pack in a comparatively large box.I aim to keep the postage as low as possible, commensurate with the demands of safety and security and I always return any postage inadvertently overcharged, as will be clear from my response. I am happy to accept Paypal and will accept personal cheques, but because of the expense, complexities and delays in the UK in the processing of foreign currency cheques I have reluctantly had to stipulate ‘Sterling only’ for these. Very sorry!Please feel free to ask any questions.