R & M Pell's 1841 Wallpapered Draughts Box from the Duke of Grafton rustic utensils and quickly sold

and quickly sold

Even if one never puts it to use

about as suggestive (to my eye at least) as a landscape painting might get

There is old glue holding her broken pieces in place and a chip to the corner of her base but she seems stable and in it for the long haul

stamped 1873

R & M Pell's 1841 Wallpapered Draughts Box from the Duke of Grafton rustic utensils and quickly soldYou know I love beautiful handwriting, and old wooden boxes, and antique draughts (checkers) too, so of course I fell for this one, which appears to have been a gift from the Duke of Grafton (in the southeast of Northhamptinshire, England) to an R & M Pell in 1841. There appears to be a hand written note to the Pells on the blue papered top, perhaps from the Duke himself, who one imagines sent these along as a gift, and in which the word "friend" is