Featured Recoil/retractable chain brooch

Another lovely little oddity. I believe a pince nez or monocle holder (what a great idea!).
I can find two online from the same maker. One is beautiful enamel and they have dated it to 1890. One is black like this but battered.
Do you think there any justification for this or just a WAG at the date?. Recoil works perfectly although I haven’t pulled it all the way out in case I break it.
Apologies for the alternative background to the photos, I’m in the hell otherwise known as ‘soft play’ with hundreds of overexcited pungent children racing around and it was the best I could do.
Thankyou

 

I'm wondering if this is from New Zealand - or maybe Australia?

I had no success running the patent number, but I have found several others of these online (few in the US.)

There is actually one like this one in the Aukland War Museum, but there is not much in the way of info given online, except that they call it a chain for eyeglasses:

retractable gilt spectacle chain in small black box; chain is wound into box and has clasp on end to connect to spectacles; small circular black box with gilt on reverse, pin attached to reverse; engraving on reverse of box reads: PATENT / NO. / 30402 / AUTOLD / REG'D / GILT.

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/coll...?ordinal=123&srt=recent&k=Autold&dept=History

Perhaps someone in NZ can find more info?

 

You may be correct as the other black one I found was for sale in Australian dollars.
Thankyou for the above information although I feel Auckland Museum needs to recruit for a better photographer!
Slightly odd item to merit being in a war museum?

 

The war museum does list it as from NZ, so I was very excited to check the NZ patent database and get a PDF file for patent #30402 and start reading...

Improvements connected with the treatment of ores by the Cyanide process

Surprisingly, after skimming the entire thing, I determined it was unrelated.

 

I have a glass paste cameo of Mary Meredith, Countess Ferrers, who finally became free to remarry when the Earl was hanged for murder (it's quite a story) & became Lady Campbell. Because it is molded paste, knew there had to have been others. Eventually a friend stumbled over another in the Greenwich Naval Museum.



The Earl certainly had nothing to do with the Navy &, as I recall, neither did Lord Campbell, although he did have various positions in government, so...? Surprisingly, Greenwich does not have their cameo on exhibit.

 

I see these from time to time, generally a bit fancier. This looks like it was meant to be as inconspicuous as possible on a black dress. Doubt your maker was the only maker. Not sure what the main question is. Age/date? Wonder when these retractable spring thingys, including retractable tape measures, came on the market?

 

The main question was if the date of 1890 of the other one I found similar to this was likely? As in, is this one of a similar age or did they just guess the date?

 

I think it's perfectly plausible. Might check into when pince nez were in use. Expect the timeline of the holders follows the history of those small gizmos I suspect were liable to spring off your nose & good to keep on a leash.