If I had the space, I would fill a whole wall with antique school slates with mends and carved in marks of all sorts. So much life and artful repair born of necessity embedded in them. As it is, I am always looking. Rare in my experience to find one with a repair done in leather, which is what makes this one particularly special to me. Attached by three square nails, each nail backed by a leather round in front of the larger leather triangle, which itself shows a little loss but is still managing to hold that corner together well. And it is quite an old one, earlier than later 19th century I believe, with wooden pegs at the other corners holding the tongue and groove joints, plus a few additional nails here and there adding reinforcement to corners and shoring up splits. And the monogram AM carved into the wood on the flip side, too. Beautiful.
11 3/8" x 7 3/4". Losses and repairs as evident, which are what to my eye make it especially beautiful. The top corner of the leather mend is not snug under the nail, but it is still holding and serving its function well--sound and not much wiggle to the whole thing. Hole at top center for threading to hang.
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