Mark Goodger Antiques is internationally renowned for one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of antique boxes available anywhere. Since acquiring his first tea caddy in 1989, Mark Goodger has developed a lifelong expertise in fine antique boxes, forming what is now a defining speciality of the business.

Our collection includes an exceptional range of carefully curated antique boxes, each selected for quality, originality, design, materials, and historical provenance. These pieces span the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries and reflect the evolution of functional and decorative box making at its highest level.

Our Antique Box Categories

We offer one of the most extensive and carefully curated collections of antique boxes available, covering a wide range of forms, periods, and uses. Each category represents a distinct chapter in social history, design, and material innovation.

Tea Caddies
From papier mâché and steel to tortoiseshell and fine woods, our tea caddies represent over three centuries of tea drinking history. With more than thirty five years of collecting, curating, and conserving, we offer a comprehensive selection ranging from early Georgian examples to later Victorian forms. Our in depth knowledge of original tea caddies, alongside reproductions and known fakes, allows us to guide collectors with confidence, whether you are just beginning or refining an established collection.

Jewellery Boxes

Our antique jewellery boxes are selected for both beauty and purpose. Each example features a bespoke fitted interior designed to safely secure and store fine jewellery. Equal importance is given to the exterior, with boxes chosen for their decorative appeal, materials, and proportions. These pieces make exceptional gifts and remain practical objects for everyday use, combining elegance with function.

Writing Boxes

Writing boxes offer a fascinating insight into a world where correspondence was an essential part of daily life. From early military campaigns to the highest levels of nobility, these boxes accompanied their owners wherever they travelled. Many contain secret compartments and ingenious mechanisms. Whether intended for a ship’s captain, a carriage aide, or a gentleman traveller, our collection represents one of the finest selections of antique writing boxes available.

Sewing Boxes

Among the most beautiful pieces we offer are our complete antique sewing boxes. These exceptional examples often retain intricate mother of pearl tools, solid gold propelling pencils, and an astonishing array of original sewing accessories. Pieces associated with the Palais Royal or makers such as George Betjemann represent some of the finest sewing boxes produced over the last three hundred years and remain highly sought after by collectors.

Vanity Boxes

Closely related to sewing boxes, antique vanity boxes reflect the daily rituals of affluent Georgian and Victorian life. Higher end examples are fitted with glass bottles topped with solid silver or gold lids, designed to hold perfumes, hairbrushes, and grooming tools. Many vanity boxes feature complex internal mechanisms, retractable mirrors, and hidden compartments. These were objects of luxury and status, used by the elite and even by royalty.

Games Boxes

Games compendiums were created for entertainment, social gatherings, and refined leisure. Our examples are fully fitted and retain their original components, often including chess, draughts, backgammon, cribbage, and playing cards. The most elaborate examples were produced by makers such as George Betjemann and retailed by prestigious London firms including Chapman Son and Co. On rare occasions, we have handled games boxes made specifically for royal households.

Tunbridge Ware

Originating in the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge ware flourished during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Local craftsmen developed highly decorative mosaic patterns using multiple contrasting woods, originally aimed at visiting tourists. Over time, Tunbridge ware became internationally recognised, and the finest examples remain highly collectable today.

Apothecary Boxes

Antique apothecary boxes were once used by travelling doctors and pharmacists. These robust timber framed boxes were filled with bottles, powders, and remedies used to treat a wide range of ailments. Some even include concealed compartments intended for more dangerous substances. Many of our apothecary boxes still retain original glass bottles and traces of their contents, offering a remarkable and tangible connection to Georgian and Victorian medical history.

Knife Boxes

Knife boxes were once an essential feature of the formal dining table. Earlier examples housed a full range of cutlery, while later designs focused specifically on knives or even spoons alone. As cutlery evolved, these boxes became symbols of status and wealth. Made in a variety of striking forms, including urn shapes with retractable lids and classic sloped designs, antique knife boxes were created to impress and to be seen.

Materials and Woods

Our boxes are crafted from an extensive range of fine and exotic woods, including amboyna, coromandel, satinwood, rosewood, mahogany, walnut, ebony, yew, and many more. These are often combined with high quality materials such as brass, bronze, silver, mother of pearl, tortoiseshell, shagreen, and glass, creating pieces of remarkable visual and tactile appeal.
For further information see our Woods encyclopaedia.


Authenticity and Condition

Every box is beautifully conserved and offered in true original antique condition. Jewellery boxes are fully fitted and ready to house jewellery. Tea caddies are true to form and retain their intended internal layouts. Games compendiums are complete and functional. Apothecary boxes frequently retain many of their original glass bottles, often with contents still present.

Collecting and Interiors

Whether you are beginning a collection, expanding an established one, seeking a distinctive gift, or looking to complement an interior with a meaningful and functional antique, our collection offers depth, variety, and confidence. With one of the largest stocks of curated antique boxes anywhere, Mark Goodger Antiques is a trusted destination for collectors, designers, and enthusiasts worldwide.