Rare Antique Brass Hornbook Alphabet Tablet English St Pauls 1729

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Rare Antique Brass Hornbook Alphabet Tablet English St Pauls 1729 :
$375.00

This brass hornbook was cast in relief with 26 alphabet letters plus ampersand & OE in seven rows (one row for each day of the week). The back is inscribed St Pauls AD 1729. I do not know the exact age of this piece. The original foundry moulds of the 1729 brass hornbooks were re-used by various religious institutions throughout the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth. It is in good vintage condition in time worn, aged patina.

This is what I\'ve learned from the google search: \"Brass horn books such as this one were made for children attending mostly private religious schools as a take home teaching aid to supplement their schooling with their first educational toys for the English language in the early Victorian period. The hornbook would be tied to the student’s belt and be pulled out for impromptu study and memorization games, much like the pocket sized chapbooks. Hornbooks were teaching tools made in a variety of materials, including brass bronze wood pewter and leather as well as other metals.\"

Size: 5\"H by 2-1/2\" wide. 1/8\" thick.