Book Shaped Old Carved Spruce Gum Box Penland With little loops carved on

With little loops carved on either end

they have a darker stain starting about a third of the way down the handles

based in or around Portland

and he has what looks rather like a tiny hand and wrist for a nose

and Boston is not the same

Book Shaped Old Carved Spruce Gum Box Penland With little loops carved onIt makes perfect sense that I would have found this one in Maine tagged as a "mystery box" but in fact a spruce gum box. Associated with logging and lumbering activities, spruce gum boxes, also known as gum books, were usually made from a solid piece of wood, as this one was, with a sliding opening at bottom. These were made by lumberman, typically as gifts for loved ones, most dating from 1850 1920, after which improved transportation allowed them to