This is the place to come to learn about Avery style needle cases.

Cleopatra’s Needle

Cleopatra's Needle needle 
case
Needle Case


Design Representation

Design Details

Needle Case Type:

Figural (diamond mark on needle case matches this design registration)

Patent/Registered to:

William Avery & Son - Redditch

Patent/Design Representation #:

Ornamental Class1: Metal: #309319

Patent/Design Registration Date:

April 14, 1877

Location of Patent/Design Registration:

The National Archives (TNA) - Kew, UK

Reference #:

TNA Representation - BT 43/42/309319
TNA Register - BT 44/3/309319
Also listed in TNA BT43/71/309319

Dimensions:

4.4 x 4.4 x 10

Material:

Brass

Name Variations:

a) W. Avery & Son - Redditch
b) Cormack Bros. - London

Other Variations:

None

Additional Photographs

Front closed and front opened

Bottom view and signature detail

Detail Views

Bottom detail with Cormack Bros. signature (photo from eBay)

Facts

Cleopatra’s Needle is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk that was re-erected in the City of Westminster in London in 1878.  It is 69 feet high and weighs 224 tons.  All four sides of the red granite monument are inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Cleopatra's Needle facts

History

Two obelisks were originally erected in the city of Heliopolis, Egypt around 1450 BC. The hieroglyphics were added about 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military accomplishments.  In 12BC they were moved by the Romans to a temple in Alexandria that Cleopatra built to honor Mark Anthony or Julius Caesar.  Later they fell over and were partially buried in the sand for nearly 2000 years.  In 1819 the ruler of Egypt presented one of the obelisks to the United Kingdom to memorialize the British victories in the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 which were part of the Napoleonic Wars.  At the time the British Government didn’t feel the obelisk was worth the cost to transport it to England, so it wasn’t until 1877 when a wealthy Englishman funded the effort that is was moved to London.

Cleopatra's Needle history

Location

Today Cleopatra’s Needle can be found on the Victoria Embankment near the Golden Jubilee Bridges.  It is flanked on both sides by bronze replicas of Egyptian sphinxes.  Its twin can be found in Central Park in New York City.  A third obelisk with the same name is located at the Place de la Concorde in Paris France.

Cleopatra's Needle location