This silver Victorian Inkstand, made in London in 1844, has an ornate central wafer box with a Roman lamp as a decorative emblem. Inkstands were a necessity for the fashionable gentleman and this particular example demonstrates the Victorian passion for replication of historic design.

This inkstand is of particular historic interest as it is said to be the one used to sign the settlement of the Ulster Boundary. It was presented by Sir James Craig, Premier of Ulster, to Charles Blackmore who was Northern Ireland Cabinet Secretary. The Boundary Commission had been established as a result of Partition to adjust the boundary between Northern and Southern Ireland. Unable to reach agreement, the Commission collapsed in 1925 leaving the existing border around the six counties that were to become Northern Ireland.