Description - Collector's cabinet / Valuables box, made from wood in the United Kingdom during the Victorian period (1837-1901), marked 'V.R.' for Victoria Regina, & includes its key (photographs 1 to 10). The cabinet consists of a circular lid on top of a hollow dodecagon (12 sided polygon) shaped container, supported by a curved cylindrical shaped revolving stand, & a curved circular base at the bottom (photographs 1 to 8, & 10). The top exterior surface of the lid is decorated with a star design made from numerous pieces of different coloured brown wood, & has a curved edge around its circumference (photographs 1 to 6). The interior surface of lid is covered with a large circular piece of decorated card, & has two brass clips situated near its front end (top of photograph 7). The circular piece of decorated card has a marbled paper design. A brass hinge situated near the back of the top of the container, enables the lid to open & close via rotation by approximately 95 degrees (photographs 7 & 8). The container's interior is similarly covered with decorative pieces of card, displaying the same marbled paper design (photographs 7 & 8). The brass lock situated at the front of the top of the container, includes two holes where the two brass clips situated near the front of the lid's interior fit, when the lid is closed (photographs 1, & 7 to 9). The top of the brass lock is also marked 'V.R.' for Victoria Regina, & includes the words 'PATENT SECURE' (photograph 9). The hole in the front of the container, is where the metal key is inserted to lock the lid (photographs 1 & 9). The back of the key also contains an adjustable metal carrying ring. The exterior surfaces of the container's dodecagon shape are decorated with twelve carved wooden pillars (photographs 1 to 5). The bottom exterior surface of the container is flat with twelve pieces of flat wood nailed or bolted around its circumference (photograph 10).
The top surface of the stand fits into centre of the container's bottom exterior surface via a rotating joint mechanism (photograph 10). The cylindrical shaped stand is short with a decorative curved centre, & a flat bottom surface that is fixed to the centre of the base's top surface (photograph 10). The base is circular with two decorative rims around its circumference (photographs 2 to 5). The bottom surface of the base is flat enabling the cabinet to stand upright, & covered in a circular piece of olive green cloth that protects surfaces that the cabinet may be placed on (photographs 1 to 5, & 10). The rotating joint mechanism enables the lid & container to rotate around the stand & base, making it easier for the owner to remove contents from the container's hollow interior (photographs 2 to 5, 7 & 8, & 10).
Condition - The wooden exterior surfaces of the Collector's cabinet / Valuables box include some shallow dents, thin scratches, numerous small marks, & areas of discolouration (photographs 1 to 6, & 10). The top surface of the lid has been restored in the past & includes two pieces of replacement wood (photograph 6). Some of the decorative pillars surrounding the exterior of the dodecagon shaped container have small areas of wood missing, as does the container's flat bottom exterior surface (photographs 1 to 5, 7 & 8, & 10). The decorative paper covering the interior surfaces of the lid & container has worn over time, & includes stain marks or areas of discolaration (photographs 7 & 8). The fitting of the two brass clips at the front of the lid's interior into their respective holes at the front of the container's interior, ensures that reasonable effort is required when opening & closing the lid (photographs 1, & 7 to 9). The surfaces of these brass pieces have tarnished over time. The metal key & its adjustable carrying ring display areas of light rust, while the lock between the lid & the container is not secure after turning the key in its key hole (photographs 1 & 9). However, the Collector's cabinet / Valuables box functions reasonably well, & is generally in good condition when considering its age & previous use (photographs 1 to 10).
Dimensions - The closed height (lid closed) of the Collector's cabinet / Valuables box is 21.2 cm, the open height (lid open) 46.7 cm, the maximum diameter 30.5 cm, & the weight 2.312 kg (photographs 1 to 10).