Scarce 1850s Payson's Indelible Ink Tin (A Valentine of Sorts) pin prick portrait made even better by a

made even better by a little rusting and dings to the the tin here and there

There is wear to this box consistent with its age

and also think it could make a pretty terrific display box for an object or two

There are some pencil marks just underneath the green on the tree at left

hanger stitched to the top of the back (a somewhat later addition)

Scarce 1850s Payson's Indelible Ink Tin (A Valentine of Sorts) pin prick portrait made even better by aBetween the first of the year and February 14, everything is a valentine to me. (I'm really not much of one for holidays, but I'm a big one for expressions of love.) So a tin tube that once housed a bottle of indelible ink seems quite romantic perfect for writing poems of love that will never fade! (It is also useful in preventing election fraud.) Payson's indelible ink was invented by pharmacist John Payson Williston in Northampton, Massachusetts and