Battery Box

By Chris Cotnoir; posted September 30, 2023

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I found this Battery Box in an antiques store. When I opened it, I was surprised to see four battery jars: three round and one square. Two of the round ones are aqua and unembossed besides a circle. The third round one is clear and says (Front) WESTERN ELEC CO/NEW YORK/AND/CHICAGO (Back) PILE LECLANCHE. The square jar is Aqua and is sideways-embossed on one side TELEPHONE/BATTERY and on an adjacent side PILE LECLANCHE, while the bottom is embossed (Arc) PAT MAY 23RD 1882. There's still some crystalline electrolyte stuck to the inside. The top of the box has some incuse lettering that says PROPERTY and something appears below that I can't fully make out, but it looks like it begins with W and there appears to be the letters LAND at the end [id=700694350]. The rest is unintelligible due to age and wear.

ADDENDUM: Jack S. offered: "The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French scientist Georges Leclanché in 1866. The battery contained a conducting solution of ammonium chloride, a cathode of carbon, a depolarizer of manganese dioxide, and an anode of zinc." Thanks for the info, Jack.

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