I have been in the rare and antiquarian book business for over forty years; my family has been in the rare books business since 1876. Rare books are in my blood.
Item #04842
A Magnificent Collection of Halcyon Days and Crummles Enamel Boxes
Halcyon Days Ltd is a British retailer of English handcrafted and manufactured luxury goods including gifts for the home in the form of enamelware and English fine bone china tea, coffee and dinnerware as well as enamel jewelry and silk accessories.
It is one of a very small number of companies to have held all four Royal Warrants, including that of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and still today is one of only 14 companies to hold all three Royal Warrants, as Suppliers of Objets d'Art to the households of the British Royal Family. The warrants held are those of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH Charles, Prince of Wales.
Founded by Susan Benjamin in 1950, Halcyon Days was initially a small antiques shop based on Avery Row in London which specialized in dealing with English antiques, in particular small enamel boxes. By 1959 the company had outgrown its original premises and moved to its home on Brook Street, where it remained for some 50 years. It now operates a shop in the Royal Exchange in the City of London and from its offices and showroom in Knightsbridge, London.
Whilst the English craft of enameling onto copper flourished during the 18th century, by the 1830s it had almost disappeared; consequently the pieces which Halcyon Days specialized in were extremely rare. In 1970 Susan Benjamin established a collaboration with enamel manufacturer Bilston and Battersea Enamels.
In 1978 Halcyon Days was granted the Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II, followed in 1987 by the Royal Warrants of the Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, as the first ever ‘Suppliers of Objets d’Art’.
By the 1980s the company began to produce new products in bone china and porcelain, and these now form a major part of the company's luxury goods portfolio, alongside the beautiful enamel jewelry and accessories collections launched in 2011. In 2016, the enamel jewelry line is joined by a new fashion watch collection. In 2008 the company opened a new workshop at Tipton. Today all enamel pieces are still hand-produced at the Strawberry production facility, and its fine bone china is made at its owned facility in Stoke-on-Trent.
After the successful launch of Halcyon Days, John Aris formed a company called Crummles to produce enamel boxes. Not as refined as the Halcyon boxes, he concentrated his themes on storybook characters that included the works of Beatrix Potter, Winnie- the-Pooh, Paddington Bear, Brambley Hedge, Ronald Briggs' The Snowman, Alice in Wonderland (based on the Tennile drawings) and Tasha Tudor.
This collection comprises a total of 70 boxes, all fine :
3 x Round Mothers Day Boxes
(Halcyon Days)
1986 : For Mother with Love
top edge: 44 mm; 1 13/16 inches
bottom edge: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
1987: For you with love
top edge: 44 mm; 1 13/16 inches
bottom edge: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
1988: For you on this special day
top edge: 44 mm; 1 13/16 inches
bottom edge: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
4 x Oval boxes
(Halcyon Days)
The Literary Collection
Jane Austen 1775-1817
It was a delightful visit - perfect in being much too short. Emma 1815
top edge: 52 mm; 2 1/16 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 33 mm; 1 1/4 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
The Literary Collection
Charles Dickens 1812-1870
Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature. Nicholas Nickleby 1838-1839
top edge: 52 mm; 2 1/16 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 33 mm; 1 1/4 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
"Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens" - a children's play by Sir J. M. Barrie 1904
The statue of Peter Pan was erected in Kensington Gardens in 1912
top edge: 52 mm; 2 1/16 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 33 mm; 1 1/4 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Design after a seventeenth-century box in the Hull Grundy collection at the British Museum
top edge: 52 mm; 2 1/16 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 33 mm; 1 1/4 inches
height: 21 mm; 13/16 inches
With hinged lid
1 x Heart-shaped box (Halcyon Days)
(Halcyon Days)
I Love You
top edge: 50 mm; 2 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches x 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 22 mm; 7/8 inches
With hinged lid
2 x Oblong boxes (Halcyon Days)
(Halcyon Days)
Based on the "Winnie the Pooh" works copyright A.A. Milne & E.H. Shepard DISNEY 461/500
Good friends stick to you like honey
top edge: 50 mm; 2 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
In an edition limited to 250 the number of this box is 120
"A Rake's Progress" was painted in 1735 by William Hogarth (1697-1764)
The scene depicts a night at the Rose Tavern, Covent garden
top edge: 50 mm; 2 inches x 45 mm; 1 5/8 inches
bottom edge: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches x 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid
10 x Egg-shaped Boxes
(No Name)
[Frogs]
width: 22 mm; 7/8 inches
height: 33 mm; 1 1/4 inches
With screw off lid
(No Name)
[Teddy Bears]
width: 30 mm; 1 1/8 inches
height: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
With screw off lid
(No Name)
[Mr. Tod and Jemima Puddle-Duck]
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With screw off lid
(Crummles & Co.)
F.W.& Co.
[Mr. Tod and Jemima Puddle-Duck]
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With screw off lid
(Crummles & Co.)
[Peter Rabbit]
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With screw off lid
(Halcyon Days)
Easter 1987
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Cooper Hewitt Museum Smithsonian Institution
"Nursery Rhymes" by Walter Crane. England 1875-1885
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
[Humpty Dumpty]
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Based on the "Winnie the Pooh" works by A.A. Milne & E.H. Shepard
DISNEY
In an edition limited to 250 no. 182
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
[Punch and Judy]
width: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
height: 60 mm; 2 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
50 x Round Boxes
(Crummles & Co.)
[Peter Rabbit]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Peter Rabbit]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Peter Rabbit]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and dark green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Peter Rabbit]
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Jeremy Fisher]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and red base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Jeremy Fisher]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and pale blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and yellow base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and pink base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Johnny Townmouse]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tittlemouse]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and pink base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tittlemouse]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and lilac base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tittlemouse]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and lilac base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Mrs. Tittlemouse]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and pink base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Pigling Bland]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and red base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Jemima Puddleduck]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Jemima Puddleduck]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Tom Kitten]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and navy base
Crummles & Co.)
[Hunca Munca]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Johnny Townmouse and Mr. Tiggywinkle]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Four rabbits]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and red base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Lady mouse]
Copyright Frederick Warne P.L.C. London
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
[Town scene]
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid and blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
Tiggy Winkle
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid and pale blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
Tom Kitten
F.W. & Co. 1992
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With hinged lid and blue base
(Halcyon Days)
[Three cats]
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
St. Valentine's Day 1986
Love's flowers forget-me-nots
- and roses for my Valentine
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
St. Valentine's Day 1987
For the one I love
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Based on the "Winnie the Pooh" works
Copyright A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard
DISNEY
1548/2500
Three cheers for Pooh
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 28 mm; 1 1/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Come to the fair
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 27 mm; 1 1/16 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Made to celebrate the Metropolitan Opera Centennial 1883-1983
An extravagance of flowers inspired by the silk-embroidered shawl worn by Geraldine Farrar as Carmen at the Old Met
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 27 mm; 1 1/16 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
William Wordsworth SONNET 1807
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
William Wordsworth SONNET 1807
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
In an edition limited to 750 the number of this box is 160
The Brothers Grimm
Jacob Grimm was born in 1785 and his brother Wilhelm in 1786.
Their collection of 200 fairy stories have been a source of delight to children of all ages throughout the years
width: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
height: 37 mm; 1 1/2 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
The Metropolitan Opera Made in Bilston, England in the year 1983
Costume designs by Peter J. Hall for the Metropolitan Opera production of "Un Ballo in Maschera" written in 1859 by Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Ripe Cherries! Fresh Milk! Oysters oysters! Hot Gingerbread! Fresh Eggs! Lovely Toys!
Cries of London, after 18th-century engravings
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
In an edition limited to 300 the number of this box is 164
Named after Sir Thomas Bond, a follower of Charles II. Bond Street was founded in 1686.
The Tercentenary of Bond Street 1686-1986. Sir Thomas Bond
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
In an edition limited to 750 the number of this box is 57
Gilbert & Sullivan "The Mikado" first produced in 1885 by The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre, London
width: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
height: 45 mm; 1 3/4 inches
With hinged lid
(Halcyon Days)
Based on the "Winnie the Pooh" works. Copyright A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. DISNEY
It all comes of liking honey so much
width: 32 mm; 1 1/4 inches
height: 35 mm; 1 1/2 inches
With screw-off lid
(Halcyon Days)
Time flies, friendship stays
width: 27 mm; 1 1/16 inches
height: 23 mm; 1 7/8 inches
With screw-off lid
(Halcyon Days)
[Two bears getting married]
width: 30 mm; 1 3/16 inches
height: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
With screw-off lid
(Halcyon Days)
[Butterfly]
width: 27 mm; 1 1/16 inches
height: 25 mm; 1 inch
With screw-off lid
(Crummles & Co.)
Tom Kitten
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
Peter Rabbit
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and dark blue base
(Crummles & Co.)
Tiggy Winkle
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and brown base
(Crummles & Co.)
Flopsy Bunnies
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and pink base
(Crummles & Co.)
Jemima Puddle Duck
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and green base
(Crummles & Co.)
Jeremy Fisher
F.W. & Co.
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and red base
(Halcyon Days)
Bilston and Battersea Enamels
I love you
width: 20 mm; 3/4 inches
height: 17 mm; 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid and red base
(Crummles & Co.)
Specially designed to Commemorate the Centenary of Peter Rabbit 1893-1993
F.W. & Co. 1992
1893-1993
width: 53 mm; 2 1/4 inches
height: 30 mm; 1 3/16 inches
With hinged lid and red base
(Halcyon Days)
The William Morris Box
In an edition limited to 500 the number of this box is 259
The decoration on this box is after an original design by
William Morris for a tiled panel at Membland Hall, Devon, 1876
width: 53 mm; 2 1/4 inches
height: 40 mm; 1 5/8 inches
With screw-off lid.
Price: $4,500.00