List of Objects

Telling a history of our world through objects

Click on the titles in the blue bar below [Location, Theme, Contributor Type, etc.] and then choose a category to see a list of objects - e.g. click Theme and then click War. (All objects have been classified by their contributor.)

You can also chose to see objects from a particular time period by clicking on the dates in the box below.

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Time Periods

  1. Hand made finishing nails Hand made finishing nails Robert Clark, a journeyman carpenter, immigrated from Perthshire, Scotland to Annan Ontario in 1860 where he purchased a ... Contributed by Individual
  2. Shaka Zulu warrior's armband Shaka Zulu warrior's armband I have chosen an armband worn by Shaka Zulu's leading warriors, a reminder of one of Africa's high points. The antique ... Contributed by Individual
  3. Blanket Blanket My uncle's blanket was sent with him from India 'home' to England in 1936. He and my mother went to boarding school and ... Contributed by Individual
  4. Roller skates Roller skates These skates were rescued from a skip in 1981 and are the same as I played with as a child in the 1950's in the North ... Contributed by Individual
  5. 112 Stamps on a single envelope (1923) 112 Stamps on a single envelope (1923) An envelope which contained a short letter to a my grandfather (a Leicester accountant) from Germany posted on 11th ... Contributed by Individual
  6. A Victorian Spark Generator A Victorian Spark Generator This Object was Given to my father by Cavendish Labs in about 1952. It was probably used by JJ Thompson in his ... Contributed by Individual
  7. Autographs of the astronauts Autographs of the astronauts A chance meeting with a busload of future american astronauts in the outback of Iceland in 1965 was a perfect ... Contributed by Individual
  8. Cold War nursing badge Cold War nursing badge I remember vividly the evening that this badge was given to me. In the 1950s a cloud hung over the world, The Cold War. ... Contributed by Individual
  9. A type writer for the people. A type writer for the people. Ernest Vincent Clwyd Crumpton was described as the Keir Hardy of the Leamington Spa Labour Party. I do not know if he ... Contributed by Individual
  10. Dinnington Colliery pit lamp Dinnington Colliery pit lamp Used at Dinnington Colliery (South Yorkshire)which first opened in 1905 and closed in 1992 with the loss of over 1,000 ... Contributed by Individual
  11. Elizabeth II Coronation Smarties in Tin Elizabeth II Coronation Smarties in Tin Found in someone's rubbish bin, it's a tin of Smarties from the current Queen's Corornation in 1953 made by York based ... Contributed by Individual
  12. Sickness insurance books Sickness insurance books These are some old insurance cheque books which I found in the loft of my house which was built in 1776. The insurance ... Contributed by Individual
  13. "Oaks" bible "Oaks" bible My object is a bible presented to my great grandfather, "In memory of the terrible explosion at the Oaks Colliery, near ... Contributed by Individual
  14. Micrometer. Starrett & Co.USA Micrometer. Starrett & Co.USA This is a well used Starrett 1" Micrometer originally belong to T.Prendergast who was probably a toolmaker or instrument ... Contributed by Individual
  15. The Camel Teapot - 1837 The Camel Teapot - 1837 The silver teapot has a spout in the shape of a camel's head. It belonged to my great grandfather who recovered it from ... Contributed by Individual
  16. RUSSIA CONVOY WHITE ENSIGN RUSSIA CONVOY WHITE ENSIGN I was a Signalman aboard H.M.S. Watchman - destroyer - Russian Convoy Feb/March 1944. After 4 days at Action-Stations I ... Contributed by Individual
  17. Eagle comic Eagle comic Entertainment of it's day that was bought in a local bookshop. It's about Dan Dare's first adventure in Space. Contributed by Individual
  18. Fragment of the Berlin Wall Fragment of the Berlin Wall I was 11 years old when the wall came down; though my understanding of the political meaning was largely vague, the ... Contributed by Individual
  19. Car Indicator Original Plan and Design Car Indicator Original Plan and Design The traffic direction indicator is an integral part of modern motor vehicles but in 1915 nothing equivalent ... Contributed by Individual
  20. Concorde Special Flight Inflight Pack Concorde Special Flight Inflight Pack This is an inflight pack from one of the first inaugural Concorde demonstration flights for business leaders. The pack ... Contributed by Individual
  21. Titanic lifeboat plaque, no 8, from bow Titanic lifeboat plaque, no 8, from bow My great-grandmother, Noel Rothes, sailed on RMS Titanic in April 1912. When Titanic hit the iceberg Noel boarded ... Contributed by Individual
  22. Mao badge collection from Hong Kong Mao badge collection from Hong Kong These badges were collected by my father Stuart W.Muirhead when he worked at the HSBC Bank in Hong Kong during the 1960s ... Contributed by Individual
  23. Gaskell? portrait signed by owner? Gaskell? portrait signed by owner? I think this is a portrait of Mrs Gaskell which is signed by Charlotte Bronte as a mark of ownership. There is a thank ... Contributed by Individual
  24. The Domesday Book The Domesday Book The Domesday Book is The National Archives' oldest and most famous public record. It is a highly detailed survey and ... Contributed by Museum
  25. Video processor for Acorn/BBC computer Video processor for Acorn/BBC computer Acorn designed an early home computer for the BBC in the 1981. The graphical display was assisted by this semi-custom ... Contributed by Individual
  26. A book signed by Maurice Cornforth A book signed by Maurice Cornforth In the mid 1980s I bought a copy of the Webbs’ “Soviet Communism- a New Civilisation?� from a Communist bookshop. On ... Contributed by Individual
  27. LT Bus Ticket Machine by George Gibson LT Bus Ticket Machine by George Gibson All older Londoners will be familiar with this ticket machine - used on all London Transport Buses between 1953 and 1993 ... Contributed by Individual
  28. Bust of Lenin in Gun Metal Bust of Lenin in Gun Metal My Grandfather (George Short) attended the Lenin School in Moscow in 1929. On graduating he was given a small bust of ... Contributed by Individual
  29. Batmobile matchstick car Batmobile matchstick car This toy car, which shoots matchsticks, was given to my son's father when he was a child on a kibbutz in the 1960s in ... Contributed by Individual
  30. Indenture of Apprenticeship Indenture of Apprenticeship An indenture is a legal agreement between two parties, in this case between an apprentice, my great great grandfather ... Contributed by Individual
  31. Patent locks and keys, Randolph Douglas Patent locks and keys, Randolph Douglas people want to keep possessions safe. Locksmiths came up with ingenious locks to prevent thieves from picking them. Contributed by Museum
  32. Telephone Exchange Ringing Tone Generatr Telephone Exchange Ringing Tone Generatr It is a Walter Jones & Co. 17Hz ringing tone generator, an example of the emerging ingenuity applied to the early ... Contributed by Individual
  33. Amharic 'feedel' (letter) Amharic 'feedel' (letter) This is the 'feedel' of the sound 'yu' in the Ethiopian Amharic language. The feedel is from a marble slab with the ... Contributed by Individual
  34. Dan Snow's piece of shrapnel Dan Snow's piece of shrapnel Historian Dan Snow has been given many things during his research trips around the world. The object that stands out, ... Contributed by Individual
  35. 1808 Adam and Eve Sampler 1808 Adam and Eve Sampler This was made in 1808 and originated in Chorley. It demonstrates how proficient young women were in the art of ... Contributed by Individual
  36. Knotted burr snuff box Knotted burr snuff box A gnarled, knotted oak burr reveals an intricately painted, lacquered snuff box with two hinged lids. The lids depict ... Contributed by Individual
  37. Fragment of pottery Fragment of pottery This piece of pottery was found at Petra in Jordan as it's colour is the same pinky brown as the wonderful buildings at ... Contributed by Individual
  38. Sadler's Wells theatre programme, 1931 Sadler's Wells theatre programme, 1931 This theatre programme is from the first performance held at a new Sadler's Wells theatre in January 1931. There have ... Contributed by Museum
  39. Murphy A4 Radio Murphy A4 Radio This is a Murphy ‘A4’ Radio from 1933. In the first 10 weeks that these sets were available 6,032 were sold at the price ... Contributed by Museum
  40. Edward VII Coronation Mug Edward VII Coronation Mug This mug was presented to schoolchildren of the Ogmore Valley on the occasion of the coronation of Edward VII on June ... Contributed by Individual
  41. Building East African Railway 1902-09 Building East African Railway 1902-09 My object is precious to me as family history, and as a small but important part of world history. It is the detailed ... Contributed by Individual
  42. Sinclair ZX Spectrum Sinclair ZX Spectrum The Spectrum was the computer that opened up access to computing for a whole generation. Along with the Tandy series of ... Contributed by Individual
  43. Horse drawn hearse Horse drawn hearse This horse drawn hearse was made in 1870 almost certainly in London. The glass sided hearse was particularly popular as ... Contributed by Individual
  44. Pre-historic hand-axe 700,000 years old Pre-historic hand-axe 700,000 years old This flint handaxe was the first human tool found securely stratified within significantly early geological deposits. Contributed by Museum
  45. 1928 Austin Seven Fabric Saloon 1928 Austin Seven Fabric Saloon My family supplied this car to it's first owner (Mr Ward) new in 1928. In 1954 he traded it back in with us and we have ... Contributed by Individual
  46. Singer Sewing Machine Singer Sewing Machine This sewing machine was one of the first ever manufactured by Singer. Singer sewing machines was founded by Issac Singer ... Contributed by Individual
  47. Colonial era carving, Nigeria Colonial era carving, Nigeria This object commemorates a short moment in the British colonial presence in Africa. It is a relief carving of my ... Contributed by Individual
  48. Yuri Gagarin lapel broach/button Yuri Gagarin lapel broach/button Given to my mother who worked in the dining room at Ashridge Management College by Yuri Gagarin the first man in space. ... Contributed by Individual
  49. Portable typewritter - Olivetti Lettera Portable typewritter - Olivetti Lettera You might think of the portable typewritter as a forerunner of the computer but its actually far closer to writing than ... Contributed by Individual
  50. Fragment from Cuffley Airship crash, WW1 Fragment from Cuffley Airship crash, WW1 This is the Fuel Tank from the Shutte Lanz 11, a German Airship that crashed in Cuflley on the night of the 2nd of ... Contributed by Museum