Victorian Silver Plated Shell Folding Biscuit Box by Elkington, 19th Century

This is a beautiful antique Victorian silver plated folding biscuit box, the base bearing the maker's mark of the renowned retailer and silversmith Elkington & Co of Birmingham, dating from 1886 as well as as the Staniforth's Patent mark. It has a plain shell-shaped body sitting in a cast frame with the original interior hand-pierced dividers. The opening mechanism is as intricate as the shell decoration, it opens out into two halves and is held shut by gorgeous clasps at the top. This container could house anything from sweets to biscuits or trinkets. Whatever you choose to store in this lovely item you are sure to do it in style. Condition: In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 24 x width 21 x depth 13 Dimensions in inches: Height 9.4 x width 8.3 x depth 5.1 Elkington & Co was a silver manufacturer from Birmingham, England. The firm was founded by George Richards Elkington and his brother, Henry Elkington, in the 1830s. It operated under the name G. R. Elkington & Co. until 1842, when a third partner, Josiah Mason, joined the firm. It operated as Elkington, Mason, & Co. until 1861, when the partnership with Mason was terminated. The firm operated independently as Elkington & Co. from 1861 until 1963. It was then taken over by British Silverware, Ltd. In 1971 British Silverware, Ltd. became a subsidiary of Delta Metal Co. Ltd. Over the course of history, it became very successful and was one of the prime producers of silver plating. Elkington received various royal warrants of appointments. One of their most famous pieces is the electrotype copy of the Jerningham Wine Cooler, at the Victoria & Albert Museum.