Antique Travelling Set
An antique travelling set is a portable case fitted for grooming, dining, or leisure, designed to bring domestic comforts onto the road.
Antique Travelling Set
An antique travelling set encompasses fitted cases, boxes, and portable kits created to organise personal possessions during journeys across the Victorian, Edwardian, and earlier periods.
The most common examples on this page include Victorian and Edwardian dressing boxes, vanity cases, and gentleman's valet sets lined in velvet or leather.
Beyond personal grooming, the selection includes specialised portable equipment such as campaign spirit sets, travelling eating sets, writing boxes, and boxed board games.
Materials and construction
Carrying cases rely on durable hardwoods like mahogany, rosewood, burr walnut, and coromandel, often reinforced with brass corners and locks for transport.
Internal fittings combine cut glass and crystal bottles, sterling silver or silver-gilt tops, steel implements, bone, and horn, secured snugly within tailored compartments.
Outer coverings utilise vellum, crocodile skin, or stout leather, sometimes fitted with specialised straps and locks for carriage.
Antique Travelling Set Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for travelling set among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Some Victorian sets squeezed entire writing desks, medicine cabinets, and roulette wheels into boxes small enough to carry by hand.
Judging quality and completeness
Quality rests primarily on the integrity of the fitted interior and whether the original contents remain intact within their custom slots.
Fine examples display superior cabinetmaking in the housing case, such as matched burr veneers and well-integrated secret drawers, alongside heavy sterling silver mounts on the glass and grooming tools.
James Dixon & Sons·Mappin Brothers·Winsor & Newton
The Antique Travelling Set Glossary
- Campaign set
- Portable furniture or equipment designed for military officers or travellers, typically featuring folding mechanisms and protective brass mounts.
- Dressing box
- A fitted box containing compartments, jars, and mirrors for personal grooming and cosmetics.
- Divit
- An Ottoman or Armenian travelling pen case with an attached inkwell, usually fashioned from brass.
- Trousse
- A traditional small sheath containing a knife and chopsticks, used for dining during travel.
- Vanity case
- A compact case dedicated to holding scent bottles, manicure tools, and brushes.
Antique Travelling Set: Frequently Asked Questions
What was an antique travelling set used for?
These sets provided portable organisation for essential daily routines, allowing affluent travellers to dine, write, groom, or play games while away from home.
They ensured that personal items remained secure and accessible inside horse-drawn carriages, trains, or ships.
How do I care for leather and wood cases?
Keep wooden cases away from direct heat sources to prevent the burr veneers from splitting or warping over time.
Condition leather exteriors sparingly with appropriate balms to maintain flexibility without damaging original patination.
Are the glass bottles usually original?
Many sets retain their matching cut glass or crystal bottles, often featuring hallmarked silver screw caps or stoppers that correspond to the box's date.
Because fragile items were easily broken during transit, replacement bottles do occur occasionally in surviving examples.
How can I tell a Victorian set from an Edwardian one?
Victorian pieces frequently display heavier ornamentation, rich burr walnut or rosewood veneers, and ornate brass hardware.
Edwardian and later 1920s examples often adopt simpler geometric lines, lighter leathers, or fitted silver-plated accessories.