There are a number of these boxes at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. They
may have some information on them. 

 

 

Bob Cottrell, Director
Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm
PO Box 250, 58 Cleveland Hill Road, Tamworth, NH 03886
Phone: 603-323-7591 or 800-686-6117 
Email: [log in to unmask] 
Website: www.remickmuseum.org <http://www.remickmuseum.org/> . 

 

"Explore over two hundred years of self-sustained living as we preserve the
agricultural way of life in New Hampshire."

 

 

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Candace Perry
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 11:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] question regarding a trick box

 

In our collection we have a mean spirited trick box that I know full well
exists in other places (I personally have a couple of my own, being mean
spirited myself).

Anyway, the information with this little box tells me it is apparently Civil
War era, and also said (which may or may not be true) it was a prison craft.

It is a tiny carved wooden box, about 2" x 2" shaped like a little book.
Apparently in one's mean-spirited-ness you were to hand this to an
unsuspecting victim, who would pull back a slide lid, and a hidden arm with
an attached spike would pop out and stab the poor soul but good.  This box
is particularly nasty.  Mine are not so much - I have an old domino box with
a hidden snake and a newly made box with a mouse.  Both have the spikes but
are not nearly as sharp as the book box.  

I have seen these in other private collections of equally unpleasant people
who wish to do a little bodily harm to their friends.

So.my question is this.what are these boxes called?  Anybody know of any
other information?

Candace Perry

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center

 



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