SOCIETY-OF-ARTS PRIZE SUPERIOR BLOWPIPE SET WITH EXTRA APPARATUS by J.T. LETCHER
07-022. English, 4th quarter 19th century, with a trade label in the lid for "T. LETCHER. TRURO, Cornwall." Hand dovetailed mahogany case, 10 1/2" x 4 3/4" x 3", containing many separate items, including blowpipe, spirit lamp, grease lamp, hammer, anvil, agate mortar & pestle, platinum forceps, test tube holder, chisel, magnet, etc., missing the boiling dish, brass tweezers, scissors, charcoal tube, etc. The case and its contents are in very good overall condition, showing minor staining from use.
The London Society of Arts awarded a silver medal for J.T. Letcher's slightly smaller set, called the "Best Guinea Set of Blowpipe Apparatus." See page 216 in G.L'E. Turner's "Nineteenth-Century Scientific Instruments" for a photo and description of their "Superior Blowpipe Set," the same as offered here.
