An interesting piece of Methodist memorabilia, this wooden "Family Box" would have been distributed to households by the church, to be returned to the church for re-use once full. It was issued in aid of the "Bible Christian New Century Fund"; the Bible Christians were one of the old Methodist denominations which reunited to form the present-day (British) Methodist Church in 1933, whilst the name of the fund implies that the box dates from c.1900. It measures approximately 15.2 x 8.4 x 6cm; the contents are accessed via a strip of wood in the base, hinged by a nail, which would originally have been held in place with a paper seal (of which no trace remains). The bottom of the back panel is slightly loose, but it is otherwise in good condition apart from some wear commensurate with its age. (Please note that the slot was intended to be sufficiently wide to accept the then-ubiquitous old pennies; it may not be wide enough for all present-day coins.)
Antiques and Collectables
