Margaret Thatcher's Bespoke Personal Dispatch Box by Asprey (After 1990)....

Description

Margaret Thatcher's Bespoke Personal Dispatch Box by Asprey (After 1990). Original dark blue morocco-covered dispatch box commissioned by Margaret Thatcher from the luxury brand Asprey of London, measuring 18" x 6" x 12.5" overall. Of rectangular form, the box is understood to be one of just three commissioned by Thatcher for her later career of politics and public service. The lid includes gilt lettering on the lining reading "MARGARET THATCHER, O.M. F.R.S.", the number "3" on the lid and one side, leather carrying handle on brass fittings at the rear, and working brass lock by Joseph Bramah on the front and a white ribbon is wrapped around the handle. The box opens with a key to reveal "Asprey" maker's logo on the interior lid. Thatcher was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1983, the same year of her second UK General Election win, and was granted the prestigious Order of Merit (OM) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in December 1990, shortly after her decision to resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This dispatch box therefore dates to her long and active post-leadership career, which included a life peerage in the House of Lords in 1992. The blue color is a fitting reminder of her time as leader of the UK's Conservative Party. At the auction of Thatcher's personal estate in London, a dispatch box dating to her tenure as Prime Minister sold for more than $320,000. A professional yet intimate relic from one of the most influential and memorable world leaders of the 20th century. Exhibits light handling marks or scratches consistent with age and use. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

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