Rare 19th-Century Marine Chronometer Transit Box –
Updated September 10, 2026
| Lot number | 264 |
| Auction | ESTATE OF JUDITH HARRISON ADDIS |
| Date | September 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM EDT |
| Auction house | Headley's Auctions |
| Location | Winchester, Virginia |
Provenance: Capt. Thomas Jefferson Bird, Ship Universe (Serial No. 214) Family album caption: "'Chronometer Box' off the Ship 'The Universe' (1830-1850). (McCall estate)" -- identifying this box's original nautical use aboard Capt. Thomas Jefferson Bird's ship "The Universe" (see also related Ship Universe items elsewhere in this collection). Antique mahogany brass-bound cube box (tag marked "Mahogany, 6" cube"), banded satinwood/ebony line inlay, brass carrying handle, two-stage hinged lid opening to a fitted compartment containing a brass gimbal ring/mounting bracket (the instrument itself, likely a ship's chronometer or compass, is not present) -- old ivory/bone inventory labels engraved "T.J.B. 214" (T.J.B. = Thomas Jefferson Bird) to the lid interior and an oval "214" escutcheon to the drawer-front, plus a partially legible paper label.
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