With originals label on the front. Rare. Heavy metal item 1415g • Authentic 1870s British strongbox element linked to Waterlow & Sons, one of the world’s most important security printers • Original engraved serial plate “668” with period lock, handle fittings, and untouched surface patina • Direct association with 19th-century financial, banking, and archival history This rare late-19th-century metal cash or document box represents a tangible fragment of Britain’s industrial and financial heritage during the height of Victorian innovation. Produced in the 1870s and bearing the prominently displayed engraved number “668,” the object was clearly designed for controlled storage, inventory, or institutional use, where traceability, order, and security were essential. The serial plate was not decorative; it served as an administrative identifier, suggesting deployment within a professional environment such as banking, legal offices, government departments, or corporate accounting rooms. The construction reflects period craftsmanship: layered metal panels, original locking mechanism, riveted fittings, and a solid hinged lid topped with a heavy carry handle. The aged surface shows honest wear, oxidation, and flaking consistent with long service, lending the piece an unaltered, museum-grade patina that collectors seek. Nothing appears modernized or replaced, reinforcing its authenticity and documentary value. Its historical importance is strengthened by its association with Waterlow & Sons Limited, the renowned London-based engraver founded in 1810. The firm became globally influential for producing banknotes, postage stamps, shares, bonds, and other high-security printed instruments. Their work required extreme precision, confidentiality, and physical safeguarding—making numbered storage boxes like this a logical part of their operational ecosystem. Waterlow & Sons later entered history through events such as the Portuguese Bank Note Affair of 1925, cementing their name within international financial narratives. Objects connected to Waterlow & Sons are preserved today in major institutional collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum Group, underscoring the lasting cultural relevance of their output. This box fits squarely within that tradition, embodying the practical tools that supported engraving, currency control, document handling, and secure transport during the industrial age. Beyond its institutional role, the piece resonates aesthetically: restrained Victorian design, functional elegance, engraved brass details, and proportional geometry. It appeals equally to collectors of antique safes, banking memorabilia, industrial design, archival storage, and historical security equipment. As a standalone artifact, it communicates authority, trust, and permanence—values central to 19th-century commerce.