Antique Victorian late 19th or early 20th century metal 2 side handles deed box
Antique Victorian late 19th or early 20th century metal 2 side handles deed box.
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This wonderful deed box could have been once owned by Francis Bassett ( more research required may significantly increase value)
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More likely was owned by a business with that name.
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some age related wear and some lovely old stickers add to the look and the reminants of a wax seal on lid !!
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35 cm wide
25 cm depth
23 cm tall
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Deed boxes historically served as secure, often lockable, containers (metal/tin/wood) from the 18th-20th centuries to protect valuable property deeds, legal documents, and financial records, moving from private homes to solicitors' offices for client storage before becoming antique collectibles. They evolved from simple storage to incorporate fireproofing and later gave way to modern safe systems.
Deed box history timeline & evolution
Early Use (Private Homes): Wealthy families used them (18th c. onward) to secure household assets, property titles, wills, and financial documents.
Shift to Legal Practice (18th C.): Became common in solicitors' offices, dedicated to a single client/case's contracts, deeds, and wills.
Design & Security: Initially lockable, they later saw fireproof metal versions (tin/steel) for added protection against fire and theft.
Modern Era: Eventually, dedicated "muniments rooms" were built by aristocrats for entire collections, later superseded by bank vaults and modern fireproof safes.
Today: Vintage deed boxes are prized as decorative vintage storage or collectors' items.
Examples of use
Used to safeguard assets for new immigrants (e.g., Jews' Temporary Shelter, late 19th-20th C.).
Elaborately decorated "toleware" (painted tin) boxes were popular in the early 19th century.
