Featured Any info on this inkwell?

When you all were talking repro, I was thinking, wow, I must be loosing it. I couldn't see it.
Detail is too nice. Casting well done. More elaborate and defined than they would have done if it was a repro.
I'm thinking silver and gold plated on pot metal.

I'm with Brad. I don't think it is repro.
I would have thought English or American.

If you take the measurements of the holes, you probably can find some glass inserts. Won't be original, but will suffice. It will be hard to find porcelain ones that match.

 

As far as I can see only Obb was talking repro.
Greg didn't seem to decide on one or the other. I had no idea, I would have guessed antique, because of the quality, which is why I asked if the screws could be replacements. Neither Greg nor I said it was repro, so it was really just Obb.
I though I'd missed something when Brad said 'everyone', so I re-read it a couple of times but couldn't find more than one person, still can't.

 

Hi one way of telling is the Rd number under the lid, I can see it present on the photos listed on ebay posted by Someone. Normally the brass bolt heads are of a different shape to each other because they were hand made, also the sharpness of the detail leaves me to think repro.....update the Rd number on the photo from ebay only has 5 numbers whereas the Rd numbering started in 1884 after the diamond reg mark started with 6 numbers 000001 ending in 1991 with -2012047 http://www.925-1000.com/registry.html

 

it's still lovely !

 

"You all" can be singular or plural.
No need to split hairs.

 

I'm amazed that this thing is two pages long, and nobody thought to call me?

I've seen a LOT of antique desk-sets like this...I would, since this is the stuff I tend to collect...anyway. My contribution will count for naught, but here it is...

--- --- --- ---

It's definitely Victorian. The heavy detailing and decoration lands it firmly in the late 1800s, early 1900s at the latest. Desk sets made after WWI were much less elaborate than this.

It's likely gilt brass or bronze. Something this elaborate would've been VERY expensive when it was new and would've been made to sit on a big, power-desk. Imagine a large, double-sided partner's desk, or similar. This isn't some home-office affair - it's for a big executive type. Its sheer size tells you that - it needs a BIG desk to sit on.

I can also promise you that this thing will weigh a TON. I had a four-piece brass desk-set once from the late 1800s and it was probably close to two or three kilos of brass on its own. So I don't want to imagine how heavy this thing is! It is most definitely not a reproduction. I don't know anybody who would go to the effort to fake something this elaborate.

The actual inkwell-cups will be porcelain, or milk-glass. Often missing, due to being broken or separated or lost or thrown out. If you search hard enough, you CAN find replacements (try eBay), but they will be tricky. It's much easier to get clear glass replacements, but they won't be authentic - almost all antique inkwells like this had liners made of white porcelain or milk-glass.

The central compartments are for stamps, nibs, paperclips, etc. The curved edges are to make removing items (most likely nibs or stamps due to their small, fiddly nature) easier on the fingers.

Complete, cleaned and polished, this would be selling for a LOT of money in an antiques shop. If I owned it, I'd never sell it!

 

Regardless, I MOST definitely LOVE it!!!!!!!!
And, WELCOME, @Someone !!!!!

 

Thank you for clarifying that, I always thought it was plural. Just goes to show how much exposure I get to southern colloquial North American English.
Quite a term, that.

 

Now I'm splitting hairs.
I'm from Northern California.

 

Do y'all say y'all in Northern California too? (Just brushing up my general language knowledge here.)

 

Nice off white china replacements there:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-ef...hash=item2cc5174517:m:mzdBmmMtzeonQw-bA6ZEiJg

 

Depends. We are a combine of people from all over the US.
My mom was born and raised in the south. We inherit our speech patterns as well as other things.

Your turn to split a hair

 

That would be it.
We have a similar thing in our town (former industrial, now design and high tech), not only people from all over the country, but all over the world. Linguists can pinpoint our accent because it is southern Dutch with many influences.

 

Hi,
My favorite Aunt had a wonderful ink stand with one porcelain cup and one clear one. I looked for years and never found a white porcelain one to match. On a whim I took the clear glass one and painted the outside with the porcelain white car touch up paint. It made my Aunt very happy.
greg

 

I didn't spot an RD number, someone has sharper eyes than me, then. I've not seen an English one of any age with those screws, though. And a five digit one would not make sense, indeed.

 

OK, just looked at the Ebay listing. Not a British RD number, imo.

 

It could have been made somewhere else.