Figural
To date 133 different figural needle case designs have been uncovered and verified. All of the items on this page meet all of the criteria to qualify as an Avery style needle case. For most the patents or design registrations have been located. In general the names of these are the same as they were in Horowitz and Mann’s book; however slight changes have been made based on the discovery of new information. For example the ‘Pine Cones’ is now listed as the ‘Fir Cones’ because that is the way it was referenced in an 1876 advertisement. The “Railroad Hand Cart” is now listed as the “Trolley and Box” because that is the way it was listed in the Provisional Design Registration in September 1876. “The ‘Cauldron’ is now listed as the ‘Camp Kettle’ and the ‘Gardener’s Basket’ is now listed as the ‘Coal Scuttle’ since that is how these were described in an article written about Avery needle cases in 1878. The "Barrel on Stand" is now listed as the "Butter Churn" because additional research indicates this is a more accurate description for this item. The ‘Heart’ is no longer listed because a detailed review of the design registration indicates the ‘Bow and Arrows on Heart’ and the ‘Heart’ are the same item. Lastly, a few modifications were made to ensure that all needle case names are based on actual words. For example, according to the dictionary, needlecase is not a word and neither is beeskeep which is the name occasionally used to describe the ‘Beehive Skep’.
Additional photographs, patent/design representations, variations and other detailed information can be found about each needle case by selecting the item from the photo gallery below. Or this same information can be accessed by selecting the name from the alphabetic list on the right. All dimensions are in centimeters unless otherwise noted. Some of the photos we have included on the individual needle case pages came from eBay and are not the best quality. If you have better photos that you would be willing to share with us, please contact us.
