Old Maid Prize, Black Ink Drawing Signed F.A, 1892 vintage pewter mold and this one provides a

and this one provides a better grip

I then opened the box to discover the whetstone inside--making this quite the useful box

a hot air balloon overhead

an a great accompaniment I'd say to this terrific drawing of woman in orange and purple

5 1/4" tall x 7 7/8" wide x 1 1/4" deep

Old Maid Prize, Black Ink Drawing Signed F.A, 1892 vintage pewter mold and this one provides aAt first I thought this antique merit award type drawing was a snarky, or tongue in cheek portrait of an old spinster, which, as a happily unmarried woman in her late 40's, appealed to me personally, but then I realized it was surely a prize for the winner of what must have been a fierce Old Maid card game, or maybe long stretch of games. And indeed, Old Maid in its current incarnation dates to the early 1880s, popular in England as well as in the U.