An HMS Victory souvenir oak trinket box

92 A souvenir made from HMS Victory oak, 1819

Height: 3 ½ in (9cm)

This small trinket box is of rectangular form with a hinged lid and applied with a silver gilt tablet engraved ‘Victory’ within a foliate border. With fully lined gilt interior. Hallmarked twice for 1819.

After the Battle of Trafalgar Victory had been so badly damaged she had to be towed to Gibraltar by Neptune for repairs before continuing to England with Nelson’s body on board (preserved in a barrel of spirits). Over the next years there were several refits and repairs providing a good source of wood for souvenirs and mementoes. The National Maritime Museum has two small oak boxes with silver-gilt mounts, one of which also has a silver gilt interior.