Special Antique Boxwood 24 Inch Carpenter's Rule with Engraved Copper Mend railroad signals code sign Individual blocks measure 2" long

Individual blocks measure 2" long  per side and 5/8" thick

The head will stand upright if leaned against something

Drawing is in black ink

with BLACKSTONE across the center diagonal

It seems quite likely this 1964 graphite drawing signed by a Phyllis Myrick was a school exercise

Special Antique Boxwood 24 Inch Carpenter's Rule with Engraved Copper Mend railroad signals code sign Individual blocks measure 2" longThis is a real beauty of an early boxwood rule to begin with, but what makes it really special, and what won my heart, is the wrapped mend at the hinged end (done in copper I believe) that was engraved on both sides to precisely match the numbers on the wood. This tells me that this was a much used and much valued rule, and the great care taken with the repair certainly indicates that a long life for it was yet anticipated. There is no mark anywhere