Flat-Names
To date 57 different flat needle case designs, most often with names, 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 ‘Minerva’ has been renamed the ‘Minerva Pincer’ since another pincer style needle case, which we named the ‘Floral Bouquet Pincer’, has been discovered.
At least half of these needle cases are included in eight patents registered to W. Avery and Son. Approximately 100 potential designs are described in these patents, although most of these were not produced based on research to date. These patents only cover the general design and mechanical components of the needle case not the detailed decoration that is stamped on the exterior.
Some of these needle cases are the ones that Avery most often licensed to other companies so they could put their name on his design. As a result, the detailed decoration for some of these appears to be based on what the licensee wanted to have stamped on the case, most often something that represented their company. It is assumed that Avery worked with these licensees so his needles could be distributed throughout the UK and other places by these companies.
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. Items with an asterisk(*) do not have a needle case name stamped or engraved on them; these names were assigned based on the decoration on the exterior. 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 let us know.
