File:PEN (FindID 886698).jpg

A complete (five pieces) copper-alloy post-medieval traveller's writing set, dating to the period AD 1800-1900. It consists of an etui (case), the lid, the inkwell/base, the pen and a possible quill/unidentified organic material.

The lid is cylindrical and hollow, measuring 22.79mm in length, 13.79mm in width, and weighs 3.92g. At the top there is a moulded ridge, and two concentric bands, parallel to one another, beneath it. At the very base of the lid are two further concentric bands. It is dark brown in colour.

This attaches to the etui, or the case, which contains the pen and quill/unidentified organic material. The etui measures is broadly cylindrical and hollow, measuring 85.08mm in length, and has a slightly recessed top, which allows the lid to fix onto the etui. Measuring 12.44mm wide at this point, it tapers slightly outwards to 17.63mm in width, and weighs in total 19.53g. The etui is dark brown in colour. Damage to the etui can be seen in two breaks, along what is possibly the casting seam. An irregularly shaped hole just above the central linear decoration is the larger of the two breaks, as the one below is much smaller, and follows the seam in its entire length. The etui is plain in decoration except for a large moulded ridge, just under where the lid would have fitted on top, and four miniscule parallel bands. These bands appear again at approximately halfway, but three concentric bands, and again either side of the base, where there is another moulded concentric ridge. Either side of the moulded ridge there are three concentric bands, though the bottom set has two together, and one slightly further apart. It is this moulded ridge that allows the etui to be fixed onto the inkwell. There appears to be some mark, possibly maker's mark on the very base of the etui. It is a broadly circular shape, perhaps a rose or a crown, slightly raised from the base which is faintly decorated with concentric rings.

Within the etui there is the pen and quill/unidentified organic material. The pen is copper-alloy, very shiny and brassy, with a smooth patina, though small traces of copper corrosion can be seen on the underside. It measures 88.12mm length, 5.59mm width, and weighs 5.26g. The pen is cylindrical, hollow, and tapers to a point at the nib. A linear slit runs about a quarter of the way down the body of the pen, and terminates in a circular piercing, 1.39mm in diameter. The quill or organic material is 82.13mm in length, 6.58mm in width but very irregular in shape, and weighs 0.14g. It is hollow, very brittle, and dark to light brown in colour, with patches of white.

At the base is the inkwell, broadly triangular in shape, and would have contained ink but is now empty. It measures 40.28mm length, 15.79mm wide at the top, tapering outwards in width to 27.77mm, and weighs 31.43g. A large crack runs the length of the inkwell until the base, along what is probably the casting seam. There is a recessed top where it fixes into the etui. The decoration includes three fine bands, parallel to one another, which run around the body of the inkwell at approximately halfway. It has a slightly lipped base. The colour is dark brown, but is slightly shiny in patches, particularly on this lipped base.