Featured Fold-up Writing Case (Ca. 1950)

This was $10.00 at my local flea-market, and I think it's just adorable!

Anybody who knows anything about me here will probably know that I have an unhealthy obsession with antique and vintage writing equipment and writing cases/boxes. Anyway, this is one I got this morning.

Closed:


Open (the gold fountain pen is mine, I added it for scale)...

Up:

Down...

Upside-down...

From the side...

 

Love it !

 

I checked all the pockets and took out all the paperwork that came with it (envelopes, notepaper, an old letter from 1964 etc), and I found the remnants of a pocket calendar down the back.

A calendar from 1950!

So it's at least that old. I'd say this was made sometime between 1945-1950.

 

What are the instructions for?
Seems a very simple open and shut case.

 

The hardware looks needlessly complicated & heavy if all it does is open & close (an open & shut case?) Does it open all the way back & become a writing slope?