What were campaign boxes used for?

Military officers and colonial administrators used campaign boxes to transport uniforms, documents, and personal valuables safely across rough terrain. Their robust construction and recessed brass fittings allowed them to endure frequent loading onto ships and carriages. Over time, these chests transitioned from functional military equipment into decorative household furniture, appreciated for their sturdy build and aromatic camphor wood interiors.

How can I tell a writing box from a jewellery box?

Writing boxes feature a hinged lid that opens to reveal a slanted writing surface, often covered in leather, alongside dedicated slots for inkwells and pens. They frequently include hidden compartments beneath the writing flap for confidential papers. Jewellery boxes, by contrast, focus on shallow, partitioned trays lined with velvet or silk, designed specifically to hold rings, necklaces, and watches without sloping writing panels.

What is camphor wood?

Camphor wood is a fragrant timber harvested from the camphor tree, widely used in the nineteenth century for campaign chests and trunks destined for tropical climates. Its natural oils repel insects and help protect stored garments from damp conditions. Boxes made from this wood retain their distinct, medicinal aroma decades later, serving as a primary indicator of colonial and military transport use.

Are keys usually included with these boxes?

Many nineteenth-century boxes survive without their original keys due to decades of moving and misplacement. Working locks with matching keys are noted in descriptions when present. Even without a key, the brass escutcheons and lock mechanisms remain intact as decorative and structural components of the piece.

Home > Antiques For Sale > 19th Century Brass Box > Page 9

19th Century Brass Box

336 items · page 9 of 21

← Page 9 of 21 →

When you handle a 19th century brass box, you touch an object made for travel, correspondence, or safe storage during a period of global movement.

Lovely Victorian, Solid Camphorwood, Campaign Trunk.

1900 - 1920

Save

Lovely Victorian, Solid Camphorwood, Campaign Trunk.

From The Dorking Desk Shop

£675

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

Save

19th Century Black Lacquered Jewellery Box

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£795

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

Save

Nineteenth Century Mahogany Box

From Ropeworks Antiques

£365

FOR SALE

chests

Victorian Cylinder, Music Box. Circa 1880

19th century

Save

Victorian Cylinder, Music Box. Circa 1880

From Frank Craig Antiques

£1,500

FOR SALE

boxes

A Large Regency Period Military Writing Slope Box.

19th century

Save

A Large Regency Period Military Writing Slope Box.

From Minerva Antiques Ltd

£490

FOR SALE

boxes

Antique Patent Safe, English Cast Iron Lock Box, Milners of Liverpool, Victorian

19th century

Save

Antique Patent Safe, English Cast Iron Lock Box, Milners of Liverpool, Victorian

From London Fine Antiques

£1,295

FOR SALE

boxes

Victorian Walnut Dome Top Stationery Box 9" C 1860

19th century

Save

Victorian Walnut Dome Top Stationery Box 9" C 1860

From Robert Bush Antiques

£295

FOR SALE

boxes

Fine Regency Rosewood Tea Caddy. Complete

19th century

Save

Fine Regency Rosewood Tea Caddy. Complete

From Carse Antiques

£395

FOR SALE

boxes

Brass Mounted Oak Officer's Travelling Chest with Original Inscription

19th century

Save

Brass Mounted Oak Officer's Travelling Chest with Original Inscription

From David Griffith Antiques

£2,250

FOR SALE

chests

Antique Inlaid Mahogany Apothecary Box Chest Cabinet Complete with Bottles Etc

19th century

Save

Antique Inlaid Mahogany Apothecary Box Chest Cabinet Complete with Bottles Etc

From N Wilson Antiques Clocks

£995

FOR SALE

boxes

Several boxes double as portable pharmacies and drinking bars, proving that nineteenth-century travellers refused to compromise on medicine or spirits.

19th century

Save

Late 19th Century Mahogany Writing Slope

From Worboys Antiques

£225

FOR SALE

boxes

Antique Victorian Shoe Snuff in Brass Dated 1891

19th century

Save

Antique Victorian Shoe Snuff in Brass Dated 1891

From Puckerings

£295

FOR SALE

miscellaneous

Antique Victorian Brass Mounted Coromandel Tea Caddy

19th century

Save

Antique Victorian Brass Mounted Coromandel Tea Caddy

From Rebecca Sarah Antiques

£595

FOR SALE

boxes

19th century

Save

Victorian, Travelling Trunk Circa, 1875

From Frank Craig Antiques

£480

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

Save

19th Century Fitted Interior Camphor Wood Campaign Trunk, C1860

From Anthony Short Antiques

£1,800

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

Save

Mid 19th Century Burr Campaign Lap Writing Desk

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£1,750

FOR SALE

boxes

← 1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 ... 21 →

19th Century Brass Box

Lovely Victorian, Solid Camphorwood, Campaign Trunk.

19th Century Black Lacquered Jewellery Box

Nineteenth Century Mahogany Box

Victorian Cylinder, Music Box. Circa 1880

A Large Regency Period Military Writing Slope Box.

Antique Patent Safe, English Cast Iron Lock Box, Milners of Liverpool, Victorian

Victorian Walnut Dome Top Stationery Box 9" C 1860

Fine Regency Rosewood Tea Caddy. Complete

Brass Mounted Oak Officer's Travelling Chest with Original Inscription

Antique Inlaid Mahogany Apothecary Box Chest Cabinet Complete with Bottles Etc

Late 19th Century Mahogany Writing Slope

Antique Victorian Shoe Snuff in Brass Dated 1891

Antique Victorian Brass Mounted Coromandel Tea Caddy

Victorian, Travelling Trunk Circa, 1875

19th Century Fitted Interior Camphor Wood Campaign Trunk, C1860

Mid 19th Century Burr Campaign Lap Writing Desk

Add keywords to the filter

Price

Era

Period

Style

Material

Origin

Stock Location

Recently Added

Online Payments

Categories