Expert: Irene Schwall - 8/14/2006

Question
Morning Ms. Schwall.  I have a sewing needle holder from The Boye Needle Co. that I got from my grandfather.  This holder is a large round metal holder that holds needles and shuttles or actually the round paper tubes that hold the needles. It has a Boye Needle chart printed on the outside as well as other information.  I have pictures that I can send if this would be helpful.  I was wondering how old this item is and is it considered an antique?  Any help would be appreciated.

Answer
Hello Tammy,
I received your photos, thank you.
What you have is a Boye rotary needle and shuttle case. These cases were very popular in the early 1900's and according to research, just about every hardware store had one.
Boye introduced this container so that only fifteen shuttles were needed to cover approx. 20,000 brand named machines on the market.  In 1910 this dispenser with its 144 tubes of needles, 24 shuttles and 72 bobbins was sold to the trade for $61.96.  Replacement tubes with four needles were also available at $11 per 100.
Your item dates to around 1906 and yes it is an antique in the true sense of the word i.e. over 100 years old.
These cases do appear on eBay periodically and I have seen them sell from $8 to $100 if complete and in mint condition.
Hope this helps.
Irene