A Black Morocco Leather Despatch Box C 1835, the chamfered top with central swing handle & embossed Lord Privy Seal *, the green velvet lined interior with raised sides. The lock plate is stamped Chubb's Improved Patent, & numbered 26992. The diamond lock escutcheon is impressed with Chubb's Improved Patent London, having a crown at each end. The Royal Crown is embossed below the escutcheon and the initial 'W'.
The Chubb's Improved Patent Detector lock** has been fully restored, and a key supplied.
Weight 1.85 kg
Dimensions 38 x 18 x 13.5 cm
*The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is one of the traditional sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. Originally, its holder was responsible for the monarch's personal ("privy") seal (as opposed to the Great Seal of state, which is in the care of the Lord Chancellor).
**This is an early type of lever tumbler lock with an integral security feature, a form of relocker, which frustrates unauthorised access attempts and indicates to the lock's owner that it has been interfered with. When someone tries to pick the lock, or to open it using the wrong key, the lock is designed to jam in a locked state until the original key is inserted and turned in a different direction. This alerts the owner to the fact that the lock has been tampered with.
