VINTAGE: Wooden Maxine Compact

Sometimes you come across compacts that just surprise you, you were never expecting them too, but there's something about them that just make you fall in love with collecting all over again. That can be said of this little compact. I brought it in a lot with two others, I'll be honest in admitting from the look of the pictures it didn't look anything exciting. The minute I opened it up, this compact became a firm favourite.

What makes this compact different is that it's casing is made of wood in a somewhat horseshoe shape, edged in metal with a metal interior. As a material, wood was often used as an alternative to metal particularly during WWII when metal was short - and there are several things to suggest that this compact could be old.

There is a lot of machine etched detailing to the powder well flap with a fancy rogue compact in the bottom quarter of the mirror hidden behind a little flap, it takes a delicate finger nail to lift it up. It came complete with a cotton based puff, delicately edged with thread and a little hook to pick it up by. All these little bits of attention to detail make me think it's old, made before compacts became highly commericalised. When lifted the powder well lid is even edged with material to keep the powder in place - something I've never seen before, only ever on the bottom of the powder well. This compact is certainly something different.

Upon the wooden top Maxine is marked. First I thought this was a brand mark now I think it's some form of personalization yet I'm unsure if this occurred before or after the compact was purchased. While it's very neat it certainly looks hand drawn and looking even closer it looks like to have been marked with a pen running over it. Either way, to me it's pretty and totally looks right for the compact. Compacts to me are all about their history, their life and their use and if someone took it upon themselves to dedicate and personalize it - then it makes it all the more special to me.

I've also finally got around to putting my first compacts up for sale on eBay, they are both doubles from my collection so I'm willing to let them go to a nice new home.  If you're interested in having some of our own - have a little peek.