Rare 18-inch letter box star attraction at prestigious Mayfair antiques festival where thousands of rare and unusual items are sold to collectors

A tiny post box just 18 inches high is set to stand tall as a star attraction at one of Britain’s top antiques events.

The ‘early postal wonder’, dating back over 150 years to 1875, is believed to be one of only a handful painted in Royal Mail’s standard red paint – as miniature ones were usually left in their natural wood colour.

It is among the rarest items which will be on sale at the LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair in Mayfair, London, which runs over the coming week from Tuesday to Sunday.

Antiques dealer Mark Goodger is selling the pillar box, which is a quarter of the height of a standard postal pillar box.

Mr Goodger said: ‘This type of letter box was used in country houses – not only by the occupants and staff but also people in the surrounding village.

‘The boxes would be placed in foyers so people could come and post their letters.’

He called the post box which is going on sale ‘one of the best examples I’ve ever seen’, adding: ‘The fact it is painted red means it is probably ‘one of only a handful in existence’.

The letter box, which may also have been used in a hotel, is on sale for £17,500, compared with £8,500-£9,000 for an oak version, Leicestershire-based Mr Goodger said.

The letter box was created less than 20 years after English artist Richard Redgrave designed the first pillar post box in 1856.

Mr Goodger said the provenance of the post box was missing when he purchased it from another antiques dealer – but he said this was unsurprising, given its age.

Others include a silver mounted horn casket created in 1901 and presented to King Edward VII by the Worshipful Company of Horners.

The casket, on sale priced £45,000, was originally commissioned for Queen Victoria to mark the beginning of the new century, but following her death in January 1901 was instead presented to her successor.

Constructed from carefully selected specimens of British bullock horn, the casket is bound with hallmarked silver gilt straps which are finely chased in the early English style and raised on four pierced feet.

Meanwhile, a luxurious Leuchars coromandel decanter from 1880 boasts detailing including the engraved crest of its one-time owners, the McCarthy Reagh family, depicting a lizard held in a fist together with the family motto, Strong, Courageous and Swift.

Other unusual items include a six-inch high papier-mâché tea caddy by Henry Clay England, dating to 1793 – featuring a ‘low-relief plaster composition portrait of King Louis XVI’.

The unusual portrait decoration is said to ‘reflect the wider fascination in Britain with the events of the French Revolution during the late 18th century’ particularly after the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793.

Founded in 2009, the Berkeley Square Fair is run by LAPADA, the UK’s largest association of art and antiques dealers. 

It attracts collectors, designers, museum professionals and cultural enthusiasts from around the world.