What wood are most work boxes made from?

Rosewood and walnut dominate. Between them they account for 58 titles in the archive, more than a quarter of the category, with mahogany in 14 and coromandel in 10. Burr and figured versions of rosewood and walnut are singled out in another 27 titles. Satinwood, amboyna, birdseye maple and burr yew turn up as well, in smaller numbers.

How are these boxes usually dated?

Loosely. Only 60 of 226 listings carry a clean year, and the single commonest entry is the bucket "19th Century", used 60 times. That covers everything from Regency to late Victorian. Below it sit Victorian, Regency, Georgian and 18th Century, then decade tags such as the 1850s, 1800s and 1880s. Dating is also inconsistent between fields, so a title's period word and the date entry are worth reading together.

Do work boxes still have their fittings inside?

Some do. Titles mentioning a fitted interior, a lifting tray, silk lining or surviving contents sit toward the higher end of the range. But only a few listings say anything about the inside at all, so a complete fitted interior isn't the norm across the category.

Are Indian work boxes common in this category?

They're a steady minority, roughly one in eight. Indian appears in 13 titles and Anglo-Indian in 11. The named types include sadeli micro-mosaic, Vizagapatam boxes faced in horn and ivory, sandalwood, Ceylon walnut and a Ceylonese porcupine quill box that appears once and nowhere else.

Why are writing slopes and tea caddies listed as work boxes?

Because dealers use "work" for the box form and for the needlework function alike. Around one listing in five is an adjacent object. Writing slopes, tea caddies, games and stationery boxes, strong boxes and a few work tables all appear under the heading.

How many work boxes come up on Sellingantiques?

Around 25 a year, and 109 different dealers have handled one. That means almost every dealer carrying them carries only one or two, rather than the category sitting with a handful of specialists.

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Antique Work Boxes

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A work box is a portable lidded wooden box, roughly table-top size, fitted inside to hold sewing tools and materials, and often used for jewellery and keepsakes as well.