U.K. Patent 1869-2983

This mechanical patent was registered by the Patent Agent William Edward Gedge for a Frenchman from Paris, France named Eugene Bede on October 14th, 1869. It covers a Butterfly needle case very similar to the one William Avery registered two years later in August 1871 which means this patent was perhaps the inspiration for Avery's Butterfly. It is interesting to note that on the same day this patent was registered, Avery registered his own patent #2998. To review the details of this patent, select the PDF file below.

PDF for patent 1869-2983

All mechanical patents were formally written and published in patent books in the year in which they were registered. Copies of these books can be found at a handful of libraries in the UK. This mechanical patent in PDF format was discovered while visiting the Business and Intellectual Property Centre of the British Library in London in April/May 2015.

Master List

To date 227 Avery style needle cases have been discovered. Visit these pages to see photographs of each design as well as the original design registration or patent and gain knowledge about variations within each design.

Avery Survey

In 2013 an Avery Survey was created in order to gather as much information as possible about Avery style needle cases from collectors and interested parties around the world. The Avery Survey is easy to complete and gives you a chance to contribute to this important research. Be sure and stop here to see the survey results.

About Us

Learn how the author turned a hobby cross stitching antique sampler reproductions into a passion for collecting Avery needle cases resulting in a published book, a Wikipedia article, a TCI Bulletin article and conference presentation and this website.