Sought-after pewter desk set created at Val-Kill and given to White House staff by President Roosevelt as Christmas gifts, including: a letter holder with a small medallion portrait of FDR on the front, marked "Val-Kill" on the bottom; a notepad holder with the same medallion portrait of FDR at the top, marked "Val-Kill" on the back; a smaller envelope holder with a presidential seal medallion on the front, unmarked; and a letter opened with a presidential seal medallion at the top, unmarked. In very good to fine condition, with some of the metal panels bent.
Eleanor Roosevelt had co-founded Val-Kill Industries in 1927 with the goal of creating fine, heirloom quality items using traditional craft methods, including furniture, pewter, and homespun cloth, with the broader social goal of providing a supplemental income for local farming families. Their metalworking forge was not established until 1934, and the company as a whole dissolved in 1940. In the meantime, the Roosevelts commissioned Christmas gifts from the forge, including stationery holders, letter openers, paperweights, and keychains.
