Without a lot more documentory evidence I am very sceptical about this claim. If the box was labelled with a little note on ancient note paper, in faded copper plate writing, it would be more authentic! In fact, it's labelled with 1960s technology, 100 years after the event. If the verbal history that these are from the Great Exhibition is anything like the verbal history of some of our family things, then I wouldn't pay any extra for these than their face value as bobbins. There are copies of the catalogues of everything that was at the Great Exhibition. If the seller wants this sort of silly money for these bobbins, then I think he/she should at least do the work of finding the catalogue number.
Also, I thought ivory wasn't allowed to be sold freely these days. It says in the box lid that these are ivory. Although this is probably not the case, *IF* they really are special Crystal Palace bobbins, I suppose they could be, but that would have meant that either they were commissioned form India or wherever (and the Indian-made bobbins are often weirdly different) or that a Midlands bobbin turner was supplied with quite a quantity of ivory as a special order - why has a mention of these special bobbins never turned up in the books about bobbins etc? I would have thought it would have remained in the verbal folklore of either the bobbinmaker or the lacemaker whose pillow they were used on, and then been passed on to the likes of Thomas Wright. With the royal connection, I am sure it would have been recorded. Clay, do you think your bobbin bone or ivory? Anyone, if you can put your hand on the Springett's book, can you find a similar bobbin and date the manufacture? Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com
