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Group of Early Molded Hardware

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:40.00 - 70.00 USD
Group of  Early Molded Hardware
Group of Early Molded Hardware
Around 1840 some enterprising Malaysian discovered that the sap from the local rubber trees could be easily molded into all manner of decorative objects. Once cured, the resultant material was rock hard and impervious even to acid. Gutta Purcha was popular for several decades and used for many products, including a wide variety of door hardware. As time passed, however, others recognized the benefits of working with an easily moldable material, and so a wide variety of early plastic materials came into the market. There is still much research that needs to be done to identify these different materials, but meanwhile, a wider variety of surviving objects continues to show up. The teardrop shaped keyhole escutcheons are offered here as Gutta Purcha and judging from the Egyptian revival decoration, likely date from the early to mid-1860s. The two rosettes are possibly a different molded material. They are marked "Silica Diatite" which sounds much more man-made than natural. Also, the molded rosette is marked Norwich, and dated 1868. Meanwhile, the cast iron inset that screws to the door and connects to the lock is dated 1872. As a comparison we are including in this lot another keyhole escutcheon that is definitely molded from a man-made material. This is great stuff of hardware history buffs.
Low 40 high 70