The handmade wooden playing card box pictured on the left was donated to the Museum in 1982.
The box is 11.2cm long x 17.2 cm wide x 3.5cm high. It is made of cedar wood and white pine. There are double brass hinges on the back, and the interior is divided by a strip of wood into two compartments. The corners of the box are joined by a "tongue and grove" technique. There is a semi-circular wooden projection on both sides of the box. A carved airplane is inlaid on the lid. The maker is unknown.
The box was used to store 2 decks of playing cards. The significance of the "airplane" is unknown. Perhaps the box belonged to a pilot who used it on an airplane, or airplanes were just a popular decoration at the time the box was made.
Last update May 25, 2007