Antique, Statuette Brand Collar and Spool and Thread Box

This antique Statuette brand collar box cum spool thread holder was made by the Washington Manufacturing Company of Troy, N.Y., circa late 1800s. The lid and base are wood, and the central portion is cardboard. Statues of Roman gods and goddesses are depicted against the plaid background with the brand name, numbers, and eyelet holes and "This box manuf'd only by the Washington Manufg Co. Troy, N.Y." along its base.

Condition:

Please note the extensive wear to the cardboard portion of the box, particularly around the inner and outer edges. In the seventh photo, above the "80" at the edge, the cardboard is damaged significantly. Also, in this same area, the cardboard bows and buckles in from the edge down to the wooden base. You can see this most clearly in photo six. The cardboard is anchored by nails to the wooden base, and there is wear around these nails as well as other areas of wear where there may have been other nails. Additionally, the inside and outside of the box has staining, and the label on the lid's underside has significant wear.

In the late 19th, early 20th century, men wore paper and celluloid collars and cuffs as a quick way to dress up a collarless shirt. This box had the other novel use of being a spool thread holder once it was empty of cuffs.

The height of the box is 3 3/4" and the lid measures 5" across. The circumference of the box is 15".

Thank you for looking.