Antique Men's Collar & Cuffs Black Box w/ 6) Collars 2) Cuffs VanHeusen Hallmark Phillipsborns good Scout Aratex Amelia Linen Cotton 14-1/2 - 15

Here is something that just doesn't come around every day. This black box is covered with embossed paper to make it look much like leather. The top is additionally embossed with "Collars & Cuffs" in a very fancy script. Angled above and below the script are stemmed flowers and leaves. Really very beautiful! The front clasp and the back hinges appear to be copper. When opening the box, you will see that the inside top of the cover has a pleated red satin lining. This makes the box quite stunning. The bottom, sides and cuff holder are lined with red satin, as well. The bottom section is designed so that a round hole in the center allows the round red cuff holder to stand. The collars are placed around the outside of the cylinder, and the cuffs are placed on the inside. Very cleaver and very neat!
This particular box has six collars and two cuffs. The makers and information are as follows:
~VanHeusen Phillips.Jones Van Byrd collar - appears to be a stiff linen with pointed collar ends. It reads, "No starch. Iron flat while damp. 15-1/2". (It is marked w/ marker, "HJGX".
~Hallmark Slidewell Hall.Heartwell&Co.Troy collar - appears to be a linen with round collar ends. It reads, "8975-A + Don Laundry Shrunk 15". (It is also marked w/ marker, "RLA" two times)
~Philipsborns collar - cotton with a vertical lined pattern and round collar ends. It reads, "4522 14-1/2". (It is marked w/ marker, "RLA" two times and "G_A" one time) Tattered and slight yellowing good at collar line.
~Scout collar - cotton with vertical lined pattern and pointed collar ends. It reads, "8019 14-1/2". It has 2 shell buttons and 1 metal button. Slightly yellowing at collar.
~M W Trade Mark collar - cotton with square collar ends. It reads, "No. 153 14-1/2". Tattered and slightly yellowing at collar.
~Artex Gluett.Peabody&Gel____ USA collar - cotton with square collar ends. It reads, "Art 14 2". (It is marked w/ marker, "RLA") Some brown stain and slightly tattered.
~2 - Amelia cuffs - celluloid with linen lining. They read, "Four Ply A 112".
The bottom of the box is black. The box appears to have a wood frame throughout. There are four tiny metal feet, which may or may not be brass.

A little history from collectorsweekly.com: In the 1800's to early 1900's, because clothing was hand made, which included men's shirts, collars and cuffs, this made it more expensive. Men would wear undershirts to protect their dress shirts, however, the places that had the most body contact in a shirt were at the collar and cuff. Thus these were added to preserve a shirt in the places that an undershirt did not protect. It was much more cost efficient to purchase just a collar and a set of cuffs then to purchase the entire shirt with them on. Thus the need for the collar box. By removing the collar and cuffs to wash the shirt, it made it possible to save on the expense of buying these items because all you had to do was to purchase a new shirt and re-button the collar and cuffs to the new shirt. Collar Boxes were used to keep the collar and cuffs from getting dirty when not being used. These boxes were invented around the 1860's. Once factories were able to mass produce clothing, shirts were less expensive and more available. Thus it was no longer necessary to separate the collar and cuffs anymore, and by the 1930's these types of shirts were no longer made and, neither were the collar boxes.

Maker: Unknown, Unmarked
Body Condition: Wonderful vintage condition. Compromise to some of the corner paper (see photos). Some of the collars are a bit tattered as explained above, and may have yellowing at the collar on the inside of the collar where it rubs against the neck (see photos). Some are marked with the owners initials on the inside of the collar and are not visible from the outside (see photos). This may be that when they were sent off to the cleaner, this is the way they were marked for identification. That is only a guess. Apparently good quality collars and cuffs were passed down from one generation to another. The Philipsborns collar appears to have two sets of initials. Hinges and clasp are in excellent condition. The box opens and shuts well. The overall condition of the box is in good solid shape.
Measurements: Box: 6.25" square top & sides X 6.75" square bottom X 5.5" high.

An excellent addition to your salt and pepper shaker or dog collection.

Requests for additional information or photos are always welcome.