General Auction including Antiques & Collectables, Gold & Silver (14% Buyers Commission)
This lot comprises a vintage mid-20th century travel suitcase and an assortment of personal ephemera, forming a collection of British social history from the 1930s to the 1950s. The suitcase is constructed from brown textured fibreboard with reinforced stitched edges, metal rivets, and a centrally mounted stitched handle. It features two metal flip-lock latches with keyholes. The contents include various books and guides: a red-covered Pawson & Brailsford’s Up-to-date Road & Railway Map of 70 Miles about Sheffield; a household manual titled The Ladies’ Letter Writer published by Frederick Warne & Co.; an official guide for Ventnor, Isle of Wight; a Thompson & Morgan (Ipswich) Ltd seed catalogue featuring a Digitalis Foxy illustration; a small blue cloth-bound Pepys Do-It-Yourself Diary; and an Astrological Birthday Book. Photographic material consists of a group of black and white and sepia-toned photographs, including images of soldiers in mid-century military uniform, various landscape postcards, and multiple rolls of 35mm film negatives. Additional items include an arched wooden scoring board with brass pins and numbered increments for a parlour game, and a single small metal key attached to a length of string.
Condition report:
The suitcase is in a heavily distressed, as-found condition, showing significant scuffing, loss of exterior finish, and fraying to the edges. Metal components exhibit surface oxidation and tarnishing. The interior paper goods and books show age-related wear including foxing, creasing, and minor edge tears consistent with long-term storage.
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