The box above was given to me by a neighbor when I was still in elementary school. He was a family man, and I do not really remember much about him or his family. He gave me two boxes just before they moved away. I do not know why he gave them to me. I do not think this was ever explained to me.
The other box was wooden with an English hunting scene on top. The scene had some damage to it. This box ended up broken, and I threw it away at some point in my life.
My parents and I never talked about these boxes or why they were given to me. Perhaps they considered these gifts inconsequential, having no merit or need for explanation.
In any case, this porcelain covered brass or copper box has been in my possession ever since then. I do not know where it came from. I vaguely remember that the man had been a state department employee, and had acquired the box somewhere in his travels. Since this is a very vague memory, I am unsure of its accuracy.
Long ago I saw boxes that looked similar to mine in a museum case at a museum somewhere in our capital city. I cannot imagine that my box has great value because if this were the case, I do not think he would have given it to me.
This box has always represented a mystery to me, and I think this is why I have held onto it for so long. It is attractive, and when it is opened it reveals a solid turquoise colored porcelain. Some of the porcelain on the inside is chipped, and you see a very copper colored metal underneath. The box is heavy for its size. The porcelain on top has some very tiny circular holes which is a sign of age. The bottom of the box is turquoise colored porcelain with no discernible markings that I can see with my naked eye.
To this day it remains a mystery to me, and sometimes a mystery is better than the truth.
movingforwardslowly 