This item would have been used in an office or business for holding stamps of various kinds. It would have been particularly useful in a legal business or a Government Department such as a Post Office where several different kinds of stamps and seals were needed. Stamps are still used in some business and office circles and an object such as this could still be useful. This item is of interest as an example of office equipment in frequent use in the years gone by. It will be useful for display.This is a black metal object. It has a metal stand with a circular column inserted in the centre of the stand. The top of the column has an oval-shaped handle. A circular piece of metal is attached to the column by a series of radiating spokes. Attached to the outer rim are twelve metal clips for holding office stamps (usually held by the handle of the stamp). The metal clips are held in place by metal studs. The ends of the metal clips clamp over to hold the stamps. The metal clips are all slightly misshapen. history of warrnambool, vintage office equipment

The Royal Doulton company began as a partnership between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watt was an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer founded in 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of English pottery. The business was specialised in making salt-glazed stoneware articles, including utilitarian or decorative bottles, jugs and jars, much of it intended for inns and pubs. The backbone of the business was a wide range of utilitarian wares, mostly stonewares, including storage jars, tankards and the like, and later extending to pipes for drains, lavatories and other bathroom ceramics. From 1853 to 1902 its wares were marked Doulton & Co., then from 1902, when a royal warrant was given, Royal Doulton. The company always made some more decorative items, initially still mostly stoneware, and from the 1860s the firm made considerable efforts to get a reputation for design, in which it was largely successful, as one of the first British makers of art pottery. Initially, this was done through artistic stoneware's made in Lambeth, but in 1882 the firm bought a Burslem factory, which was mainly intended for making bone China table wares and decorative items. An early utilitarian stoneware item made by a well-known company that specialised in making salt-glazed items that later earned a reputation for making stoneware art objects. This ink well is historically significant as it represents the method of hand written communication that was still common up until the mid-20th century, before fountain pens and ballpoint pens took over in popularity and convenience.Ceramic, salt-glazed, mid-brown ink bottle. It has a small round mouth, rounded lip that extends past neck, wide shoulders, straight sides, flat base. Handmade. The surface is matt. there are flecks of dark brown in the clay. The bottle has marks on the side.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, writing equipment, writing accessory, office equipment, stationery, domestic, stoneware, clay, ceramic, pottery, inkwell, penny ink well, nib pen, dip pen, ink, hand writing, record keeping, household, business, vintage, blotting paper, ink bottle, dwarf ink, salt glazed

This design of ink bottle or ink well was commonly referred to as a ‘penny ink well’ because it was very inexpensive to produce. It is also known as a dwarf bottle. Pen and ink has been in use for hand writing from about the seventh century up until the mid-20th century. Up until around the mid-19th century a quill pen made from a bird’s feather was used. In the 1850s the steel point pen was invented and could be manufactured on machines in large quantities. In the 1880s a successful portable fountain pen was designed, giving a smooth flowing ink and ease of use. Ink wells, used with steel nib dip pens, were commonly used up until the mid-20th century. The pens only held a small amount of ink so users had to frequently dip the nib of the pen into an ink well for more ink. Hand writing with pen and ink left wet writing on the paper, so blotting paper was carefully used to absorb the excess ink and prevent smudging. Ink could be purchased, ready to use, or in the powdered form, which needed to be mixed with water. After the invention of fountain pens, which had a reservoir of ink, and then ballpoint pens, which also had ink that flowed freely, the dip pen was slowly replaced. However, artisans continue to use nib pens to create beautiful calligraphy.This ink well is historically significant as it represents methods of hand written communication that were still common up until the mid-20th century, when fountain pens and ballpoint pens took over in popularity and convenience.Ink bottle or ink well, sometimes called a Penny Ink Well. Cylindrical body, salt-glazed, brown ceramic stoneware bottle, handmade. Stoneware bottle. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, writing equipment, writing accessory, office equipment, stationery, domestic, stoneware, clay, ceramic, pottery, ink well, inkwell, ink bottle, penny ink well, nib pen, dip pen, ink, hand writing, record keeping, household, business, vintage, blotting paper, dwarf bottle

Jakob Maul (1866-1953) founded a metal works factory in 1912 at Zell in Odenwald not far from Frankfurt. He was born the son of a winegrower from the Rheinhessen region of Germany that lies on the left bank of the river Rhine. At the age of 45, he started a metal works factory to produce various types of scales but during the second world war the factory was bombed and production ended. Production for the manufacture of scales resumed in 1948. In 1953 at his death Jakobs son Fritz Scharmann an engineer who had been working with his father since 1923 took over the management of the Maul companies. In 1970 the production responsibilities for Philip J Maul was taken over by Porti Office Equipment who was based in Hamburg. The company has undergone several integrations with subsidiary companies. Today the company has diversified into different areas one of which is manufacturing solar scales. An original postal scale made in Germany before the Second World War and regarded today as a collector's item. It is significant as it is a snapshot into the past and how everyday vintage items were used and interacted within society in the 1930s.Antique German Jacob Maul "Concav" brass postal or letter scale, quadrant type, with pendulum, measuring up to 9ozs. The scale has a level-adjusting screw.The balance is marked "CONCAV" and graduated in imperial ounces to 9 ozflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, scale, quadrant scale, postal weight, 9 oz, philip jakob, maul, scale manufacturer, german industry, weighing instrument, inclination scale

This design of ink bottle or ink well was commonly referred to as a ‘penny ink well’ because it was very inexpensive to produce. It is also known as a dwarf ink bottle. It was recovered from the wreck of the 1895-1902 ship Inverlochy and is part of the John Chance Collection. Pen and ink has been in use for hand writing from about the seventh century up until the mid-20th century. Up until around the mid-19th century a quill pen made from a bird’s feather was used. In the 1850s the steel point pen was invented and could be manufactured on machines in large quantities. In the 1880s a successful portable fountain pen was designed, giving a smooth flowing ink and ease of use. Ink wells, used with steel nib dip pens, were commonly used up until the mid-20th century. The pens only held a small amount of ink so users had to frequently dip the nib of the pen into an ink well for more ink. Hand writing with pen and ink left wet writing on the paper, so blotting paper was carefully used to absorb the excess ink and prevent smudging. Ink could be purchased, ready to use, or in the powdered form, which needed to be mixed with water. After the invention of fountain pens, which had a reservoir of ink, and then ballpoint pens, which also had ink that flowed freely, the dip pen was slowly replaced. However, artisans continue to use nib pens to create beautiful calligraphy. INVERLOCHY 1895-1902 - The Inverlochy was a steel sailing barque built in Scotland in 1895 for international trade. In 1902 the Inverlochy left Liverpool under the command of Captain E.R. Kendrick. There were 21 officers and crew and the captain’s wife Mrs Kendrick, on board, bound for Australia with cargo that included tools, chemicals, liquor (beer, whisky, stout, rum, and brandy), steel, iron, wire netting, hoop iron, tinplate and pig iron), and steel wire for the Melbourne Tramway Company, tiles, soap, soft goods and earthenware. On December 18 almost at their destination, the Inverlochy ran aground on Ingoldsby Reef at Point Addis, near Anglesea. The crew and passengers left the ship via lifeboat and landed at Thompson’s Creek, then walked about 20 kilometres to Barwon Heads. Salvagers were interested in the 10 miles of cable in the hold. Mrs Kendrick’s ‘high grade’ bicycle was amongst the items salvaged but she lost her jewellery and two pianos. By February 1903 the ship had broken up and objects such as bottles and casks of liquor were washed ashore. Bad weather shook the wreck in June 1903, causing the ship’s spars and figurehead to be washed ashore. This ink bottle is historically significant as it represents methods of hand written communication that were still common up until the mid-20th century, when fountain pens and ballpoint pens took over in popularity and convenience. The Ink bottle also has significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Inverlochy in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. This Ink bottle is significant because of its historical connection to the barque Inverlochy, which is an example of a commercial international steel sailing barque and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR S338. The Inverlochy is significant for its cargo, which is a snapshot of the kind of goods imported into Australia at the turn of the 19th century, including cable for the Melbourne Tramway Company. The wreck of the Inverlochy is important as an accessible dive site that shows the remains of a large international trading vessel and its contents. It is valuable for an insight into Victorian era of shipping and maritime history.Ink bottle or ink well; cylindrical shaped, salt-glazed, mid-brown ceramic bottle. It has a small round mouth, rounded lip that extend past the short neck, wide shoulders, straight sides, flat bottom. Handmade. Also called a Penny Ink Well.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, john chance, inverlochy, scotland, captain e.r. kendrick, melbourne tramway company, tramway cable, ingoldsby reef, point addis, anglesea, thompson’s creek, barwon heads, ink bottle, writing equipment, writing accessory, office equipment, stationery, domestic, stoneware, clay, ceramic, pottery, ink well, inkwell, penny ink well, nib pen, dip pen, ink, hand writing, record keeping, household, business, vintage, blotting paper, dwarf ink

This design of ink bottle or ink well was commonly referred to as a ‘penny ink well’ because it was very inexpensive to produce. It is also known as a dwarf bottle. It was recovered from the wreck of the 1895-1902 ship Inverlochy and is part of the John Chance Collection. Pen and ink has been in use for hand writing from about the seventh century up until the mid-20th century. Up until around the mid-19th century a quill pen made from a bird’s feather was used. In the 1850s the steel point pen was invented and could be manufactured on machines in large quantities. In the 1880s a successful portable fountain pen was designed, giving a smooth flowing ink and ease of use. Ink wells, used with steel nib dip pens, were commonly used up until the mid-20th century. The pens only held a small amount of ink so users had to frequently dip the nib of the pen into an ink well for more ink. Hand writing with pen and ink left wet writing on the paper, so blotting paper was carefully used to absorb the excess ink and prevent smudging. Ink could be purchased, ready to use, or in the powdered form, which needed to be mixed with water. After the invention of fountain pens, which had a reservoir of ink, and then ballpoint pens, which also had ink that flowed freely, the dip pen was slowly replaced. However, artisans continue to use nib pens to create beautiful calligraphy. INVERLOCHY 1895-1902 - The Inverlochy was a steel sailing barque built in Scotland in 1895 for international trade. In 1902 the Inverlochy left Liverpool under the command of Captain E.R. Kendrick. There were 21 officers and crew and the captain’s wife Mrs Kendrick, on board, bound for Australia with cargo that included tools, chemicals, liquor (beer, whisky, stout, rum, and brandy), steel, iron, wire netting, hoop iron, tinplate and pig iron), and steel wire for the Melbourne Tramway Company, tiles, soap, soft goods and earthenware. On December 18 almost at their destination, the Inverlochy ran aground on Ingoldsby Reef at Point Addis, near Anglesea. The crew and passengers left the ship via lifeboat and landed at Thompson’s Creek, then walked about 20 kilometres to Barwon Heads. Salvagers were interested in the 10 miles of cable in the hold. Mrs Kendrick’s ‘high grade’ bicycle was amongst the items salvaged but she lost her jewellery and two pianos. By February 1903 the ship had broken up and objects such as bottles and casks of liquor were washed ashore. Bad weather shook the wreck in June 1903, causing the ship’s spars and figurehead to be washed ashore. This ink bottle is historically significant as it represents methods of hand written communication that were still common up until the mid-20th century, when fountain pens and ballpoint pens took over in popularity and convenience. The Ink bottle also has significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Inverlochy in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. This Ink bottle is significant because of its historical connection to the barque Inverlochy, which is an example of a commercial international steel sailing barque and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR S338. The Inverlochy is significant for its cargo, which is a snapshot of the kind of goods imported into Australia at the turn of the 19th century, including cable for the Melbourne Tramway Company. The wreck of the Inverlochy is important as an accessible dive site that shows the remains of a large international trading vessel and its contents. It is valuable for an insight into Victorian era of shipping and maritime history. Ink bottle, glazed, prange-brown ceramic cylinder, ring of clay on top for lip, narrow mouth, very short neck on wide shoulder that reaches out to edge of of straight-sided body, flat base. On the shoulder, close to the neck, are concentric lines in the clay. There are dark areas around the lip and mouth opening. The clay appears to have a fold line on its body. The material has flecks of darker material in it. Sediment around shoulder. Handmade. Also called a Penny Ink Well.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, john chance, inverlochy, scotland, captain e.r. kendrick, melbourne tramway company, tramway cable, ingoldsby reef, point addis, anglesea, thompson’s creek, barwon heads, ink bottle, writing equipment, writing accessory, office equipment, stationery, domestic, stoneware, clay, ceramic, pottery, ink well, inkwell, penny ink well, nib pen, dip pen, ink, hand writing, record keeping, household, business, vintage, blotting paper, dwarf ink