What is the difference between a writing slope and a writing box?

A slope has a hinged lid that opens out into a sloping writing surface, leather or velvet lined, with inkwells and pen trays inside. That is the form named in 575 titles. Writing box is used more broadly on Sellingantiques. It takes in flat-lidded correspondence boxes and desk-standing stationery boxes and cabinets, which hold paper and letters rather than folding out for use on the knees.

Which woods are most common?

Walnut leads, named in 252 titles, with burr walnut in around a hundred and figured walnut in another thirty. Rosewood, mahogany and coromandel follow. Earlier Georgian and Regency boxes lean towards mahogany and rosewood. Oak turns up at both ends of the range: in 17th-century desk and Bible boxes, and in plainer later work.

What makes a box a campaign writing slope?

Campaign means made for military or travelling use. In practice that shows as brass straps over the edges and corners, flush handles that sit level with the sides, and a sturdy build. Campaign appears in 139 titles and brass bound in 138, which puts this group at roughly one in eight of the category. Military and travelling turn up in smaller numbers alongside.

Do writing boxes have secret compartments?

Fifty-three titles name secret drawers outright, and secret in some form appears in sixty-one. The usual arrangement is a drawer or compartment released from within the interior once the slope is open. Concealed work sits with other upper-range fittings. Named locks are called out in several titles, and candle sconces or candlesticks in a few more.

How accurate are the dates given in listings?

Treat them as brackets. Victorian and a plain 19th Century between them outweigh every decade, and only 274 of 738 sold listings carry a clean year. Titles are often more precise than the dated field. Several William IV and George III boxes are filed simply as Victorian, Regency or Georgian. The range as a whole runs 1700 to 1920.

Are there Asian or colonial examples?

Yes, as a small steady tail. Indian, Anglo-Indian and colonial boxes appear in modest numbers, including vizagapatam sandalwood and a porcupine-quill and ebony box. Japanese lacquer suzuribako turn up in a handful of listings, and single pieces include a Chinese huanghuali box and a Sri Lankan ebony one. Among 995 listings, these are the origins that appear once or twice rather than by the dozen.

Home > Boxes > Writing Boxes > Page 11

Antique Writing Boxes

261 items · page 11 of 17

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A portable wooden box whose hinged lid opens into a sloping, usually leather-lined writing surface, fitted with inkwells, pen trays and compartments for paper, made for writing away from a fixed desk.

A 19th Century Mahogany Bi-fold Campaign Writing Slope

18th century

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A 19th Century Mahogany Bi-fold Campaign Writing Slope

From John Hubbard Antiques

£995

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Oak Stationery Box

From Andros Antiques

£325

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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William IV 19th Century Table Top Writing Slope

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£550

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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19th Century Inlaid Irish Killarney Writing Slope

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£1,250

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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19th Century Rosewood Writing Slope

From John Hubbard Antiques

£255

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Mid 19th Century Campaign Camphor Metamorphic Lap Desk

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£1,595

FOR SALE

boxes

Victorian Figured Walnut Writing Slope with Bramah Lock and Keys and Secret Drawers

19th century

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Victorian Figured Walnut Writing Slope with Bramah Lock and Keys and Secret Drawers

From John Hubbard Antiques

£895

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Walnut Writing Slope

From Carlton House Antiques

£750

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Large 19th-century Satinwood and Ebony Writing Box

From Colton Antiques

£750

FOR SALE

boxes

Georgian Walnut Brass Bound Writing Slope

18th century

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Georgian Walnut Brass Bound Writing Slope

From AJD Antiques

£380

FOR SALE

boxes

The oldest to pass through Sellingantiques are 17th century oak desk and Bible boxes, plus a Queen Anne oak writing box carrying the date 1706 on the box itself.

17th century

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17th Century Dated Oak Box

From Holmes Antiques

£1,100

FOR SALE

boxes

American Oak Desktop Stationary Cabinet, Circa 1900

1900 - 1920

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American Oak Desktop Stationary Cabinet, Circa 1900

From WelshAntiques

£140

FOR SALE

boxes

Quality Victorian Oak Antique Stationary Box

19th century

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Quality Victorian Oak Antique Stationary Box

From Driscolls Antiques Ltd

£295

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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Victorian Burr Walnut Writing Slope

From John Hubbard Antiques

£275

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

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An Anglo Indian Campaign Writing Box

From The Antique Partnership

£425

FOR SALE

boxes

1900 - 1920

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Antique Oak Stationery Cabinet

From In A Nutshell Antiques and Interiors

£150

FOR SALE

boxes

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Antique Writing Boxes

A 19th Century Mahogany Bi-fold Campaign Writing Slope

Oak Stationery Box

William IV 19th Century Table Top Writing Slope

19th Century Inlaid Irish Killarney Writing Slope

19th Century Rosewood Writing Slope

Mid 19th Century Campaign Camphor Metamorphic Lap Desk

Victorian Figured Walnut Writing Slope with Bramah Lock and Keys and Secret Drawers

Walnut Writing Slope

Large 19th-century Satinwood and Ebony Writing Box

Georgian Walnut Brass Bound Writing Slope

17th Century Dated Oak Box

American Oak Desktop Stationary Cabinet, Circa 1900

Quality Victorian Oak Antique Stationary Box

Victorian Burr Walnut Writing Slope

An Anglo Indian Campaign Writing Box

Antique Oak Stationery Cabinet

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