Pen nib box
John Heath
Category
Education objects
Date
Unknown
Materials
Cardboard and metal
Measurements
Each box - 63 mm (width); 24 mm (height); 47 mm (depth)
Place of origin
Birmingham
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 666647
Summary
Two cardboard boxes of pen nibs, one sealed and unopened and the other has been opened. The sides of the boxes are decorated with holly leaves and berries on a gold coloured background. Each box is labelled identically. The label on the top reads 'John Heath's Turned up Points, Telephone Pen No. 0278, Holds a large supply of ink, Perfection, This Box Contains One Gross'. In addition, the opened box has, on the top, a gummed label which reads 'J. and H. Bell Ltd. Nottingham'. The label on each end of the boxes reads 'The Telephone Pen 0278 'Fine Point'. John Heath'. (Note: The label on one end of the opened box has been torn and is incomplete). The label on the base reads 'Caution' followed by a warning against the purchase of imitations. Each bronze coloured nib is impressed with the words 'John Heath's Telephone Pen 0278F' and a diamond with the letter 'H' in it. Total number of items is 137.
Provenance
'Derbyshire Museum Service History of Education Collection' - a collection established by Derbyshire Museum Service (through gifts from individuals, Derbyshire schools and purchases) in the 1940s and stored at Sudbury Hall from the early 1970s to 2012. The National Trust managed the collection between 1991 and 2012 when legal ownership was transferred from Derbyshire County Council to the National Trust. Archival records information - "The collection was established as a result of isolated gifts in the 1940's, and the 'savings' of certain school records (now passed to County Records) during wartime paper salvage." "During the 1950s it was L.E.A. practice to hold an Easter Course for teachers, and the County (Derbyshire) Museum arranged a special exhibition for teach course. As by the mid 1950s quite a collection had already accumulated, it was decided to produce an exhibition on the history of education with special reference to Derbyshire. Consequently, further material was purchased, from which items were selected. The exhibition was subsequently shown at a number of centres, and after disbandment, additions continued to be made with the aim of eventually producing a reconstructed classroom as a base for research. The Derby Bishop Lonsdale College of Education has frequently made use of the collection in various ways."
Makers and roles
John Heath , maker