Princess Mary's Christmas Fund 1914

[Mike]

I always wanted one of these to round out my small WW1 display ..but I have a feeling something's missing from this set. Do any of you have a complete set or , please let me know what I need to complete it.

It looks like quite a gift for the avarage Soldier

[Mike]

#2

[Mike]

#3

[Tony]

Hello Mike,

The Christmas card and photo of Princess Mary are missing, have a look here http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2646&hl=mary

It may be just the angle the photo was taken at but the silver foil on the tobacco packet doesn't look right. It should have thick foil with plaited or criss cross texture. Are the cigarettes open? If so, you can easily check if the them for the monogram. The cigarette foil is smooth.

I've just got to work but can post a photo of what I mean this evening unless someone else does so beforehand.

Tony

I did something wrong with the link but have corrected it now

Edited February 10, 2006 by Tony

[Tony]

Here you go Mike, if the foil looks like this you are ok.

The Christmas card, envelope and photo are also pictured but this collecting field is much bigger than you'd think.

The writing set is rare, the tinder lighter too but tins with spices or boiled sweets are rarer still. I think the tin with bullet pencil is the more common of the contents to have survived, I believe they were given to wounded troops out of the line and they usually come with a New Year card pointing to the fact that they were issued after Christmas 1914.

I read somewhere that the tins were issued throughout 1915 as they didn't have enough to go round at Christmas nor the money to produce the numbers of tins necessary.

Tony

[deptfordboy]

Is that your Mary tin Tony? If so, that's a SUPER set, you can't upgrade from that. I have one too, without the goodies but containing medals...

Cheers

Gilbert

[Tony]

Hello Gilbert,

Only the tobacco with cards pictured are mine although I do have a few full tins.

Tony

I've corrected the above link!!

Edited February 10, 2006 by Tony

[Mike]

Thanks for all the info Tony ...I'll open it up tonight and double check but , it looks like someone either repacked everything in the smooth foil (keeping that orig textured foil underneath) or "made up" the packs just for display with orig labels. I hope the ciggs don't say "Marlboro"

Depending on what I find ...the question will be ---should I keep this , or return it to the seller and wait to find a complete set ? What would a set sell for today ?

I'll check it out tonight.

Thanks --Mike

[Tony]

Hello Mike,

It seems that prices in the US can differ enormously from the UK, the US usually being cheaper. I paid ?100 last summer for my set with tin, full pack of opened cigarettes, tobacco, card with envelope and picture of Princess Mary. I think I paid about ?60 for the set missing 16 cigarettes and envelope.

Keeping it depends on what you paid, if you got them for the price of a tin I'd probably keep it for display. It might be worth checking out ebay.uk.

If you want any detailed pics let me know and I'll send them across.

Tony

[Mike]

Hi Tony ...I just checked it out and , Good News ..they do have a diamond pattern in the foil! The pattern is a little larger than yours but , both packs have the design.

I paid $180 for this set, probably too much but ..maybe it should be a keeper until I find a complete set. I'll check out EbayUK as you said. here are the pictures ---

Thanks Tony

[Mike]

The foil is glued shut so I can't look at the ciggs for the crest. The pattern is hard to see because the foil is wrinkled up ---

[Kenneth Whitcomb]

#2

After reading this thread I checked my tin. It has the original tobacco, etc. The Christmas card is in a yellowed, small envelope upon which is written: "1914-1918, Souvenier of the Great War, Sergeant L. Seavers, 2nd South Lancs, Xmas 1914. Made Sergt on field and mentioned in Sir John Frenchs first dispatches pvt(?) 1914. One of the contemptible little army." This tin is in my collection for keeps. What a history it presents.

[Mike]

I agree Ken ..great items but it seems like they are overlooked by many collectors. that's ok ..more for us !

[Tony]

After reading this thread I checked my tin. It has the original tobacco, etc. The Christmas card is in a yellowed, small envelope upon which is written: "1914-1918, Souvenier of the Great War, Sergeant L. Seavers, 2nd South Lancs, Xmas 1914. Made Sergt on field and mentioned in Sir John Frenchs first dispatches pvt(?) 1914. One of the contemptible little army." This tin is in my collection for keeps. What a history it presents.

It's nice to have something like this actually named to a soldier, unfortunately only one of mine is named but the writing is too modern.

Tony

[Kenneth Whitcomb]

It's nice to have something like this actually named to a soldier, unfortunately only one of mine is named but the writing is too modern.

Tony

The writing on the envelope is somewhat faded. It is authentic. I have another tin somewhere that has entire contents also. Can't find it! A question: how can I research soldiers mentioned in dispatches? Somewhere around here I have a short war diary of a Canadian Colonel in the medical corps. He was mentioned twice. Thanks, Ken

[Tony]

Ken,

Researching soldiers mentioned in dispatches, well I'm not sure if the Times newspaper will give you much info, the London Gazette will only mention his name so a researcher is probably your best bet if you can't get to Kew.

What's his name and unit? You never know, someone might have the battalion diary.

Tony

[leigh kitchen]

About 50,000 issued, it appears that these tins were genuinely prized by recipiemts.

There are slightly different versions of the tin, produced bu different manufacturers, but be aware that not just the tins but the contents, labels & wrappers are produced for re-enactors & collectors.

No doubt that out there there must be absolutely herds of "collectors" of reproduction tins with reproduction cigarettes, reproduction chocolate etc,just tripping over each other to buy these things, but there's far less doubt that there are also people who will flog them as being the genuine article.

A complete, unopened cardboard box of these were found with an opened one still with a few tins in, in Ireland about 10 years ago.

There is a good website showing the various patterns of gebuine & "repro" tin but I can't locate it at the moment.

Basic information re. the tin:

http://www.kinnethmont.co.uk/1914-1918_fil...as-box-1914.htm

Information about inception & production, contents, distribution etc:

http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/.../setPaginate/No

[Kenneth Whitcomb]

I have bookmarked the two tin sites you mention. Thank you for the information. Do you know of anyone who might have an original bullet pencil for sale outside of ebay?

[leigh kitchen]

I have a printed list of all the variations of contents for these tins, I'll post it when I can find it.

I don't know of any bullet pencils for sale other than that I have just done a quick search & found this on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bullet-Pencil-Brass-...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Tony]

I have bookmarked the two tin sites you mention. Thank you for the information. Do you know of anyone who might have an original bullet pencil for sale outside of ebay?

Pencils are still quite common, I think I have about 6 of them. Saying that, it is ideal to search markets/antique fairs in the UK where you'll find prices ranging from ooh bugger me, that's cheap to give me a pint of what he's on, being outside the UK can make things difficult.

Tony

[leigh kitchen]

Just thought that I'd link this thread:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2646

[leigh kitchen]

From the bulletin of "The Soke Military Collectors Society" of Peterborough (UK), fromn edition of the ealy 1990's, I think. Interesting, if it's true, but I'd treat detail other than the basics of the items & their sale as a little suspect - eg the comment about most of the soldiers meant to receive the parcels having been killed fighting on the Somme - presumably in the offensive of 1916, & not at christmas 1914 when the christmas boxes were actually being issued.

Mystery Box Goes On Sale.

A cardboard box wrapped in twine and sealed with lead goes on sale this month at auction, the asking price is ?4,250, and no one has ever seen inside it.

The last people ever to see inside the box were First World War production workers, but the remaining contents of an identical box found beside it in an attic in Ireland yielded two small embossed brass boxes of comforts sent abroad to First World War soldiers by Princess Mary's Christmas Fund.. Each contained a pencil in a brass bullet case and a christmas greetings card. Boxes for smokers also contained an ounce of pipe tobacco, 20 cigarettes, a pipe, a tinder lighter and a signed photograph of the princess. Non-smokers received a packet of acid tablets, a khaki writing case with stationary - and a bullet pencil.

No one knows if the 72 tins in 12 cardboard cartons contained in the box are for smokers or non-smokers.

The tins, usually empty, sell for between ?20 and ?60 depending on their condition, they are worth about ?100 complete.

The saddest thing is that the package, found 50 years ago, survives at all. The army officers in the Irish family were all vcharged to deliver it to soldiers fighting on the Somme. But, most of the soldiers meant to receive them were killed.

Just as sad is the Crimean War package that was discovered in the same attic by a grandmother of the family 21 years ago. It contained individually packaged parcels that, being a tidy sort, she burned. At least she divulged what they contained: fruit cake.

Edited September 24, 2008 by leigh kitchen

[Tony]

Maybe they were destined for the French on the Somme

Those 1990s prices are a bit high too.

Where is the attic? We could have a rummage for some Boer War chocolate tins.

[leigh kitchen]

There you go, Boer War chocolate:

[Tony]

There you go, Boer War chocolate:

Yummy yummy.

I was offered a Boer War tin complete with straw and chocolate down at Camden market in about the early 90s, but thought the nice old lady who wanted 50 GBP for it was possibly taking the michael.

Tony