Lot 7 Antique Textile Mill Spools Bobbins H&P Spool & Bobbin Co Lawrence MA Mark For Sale

🧵 Item Description

Up for sale is a lot of 7 antique wooden textile mill spools/bobbins from early-to-mid 20th century American industry. Each spool once ran on the spinning, twisting, or winding frames of a working textile mill. The group has a mix of sizes, woods, and end treatments: pewter-toned metal caps, natural wood flanges, black fiber ends, and one powder-blue painted spool. One spool carries the maker’s mark of H&P Spool and Bobbin Co. of Lawrence, Massachusetts: “H&P” in a raised diamond. Together they make a great display grouping for industrial, farmhouse, or primitive decor.

✍️ MARKINGS: One dark spool is marked “H&P” in a raised diamond cartouche on its fiber end cap. This is the mark of H&P Spool and Bobbin Co., Lawrence, Mass. The remaining spools appear unmarked.

Provenance: Original mill-used pieces with authentic factory wear. They have not been refinished or altered.

Lot Details (approximate lengths)

• Spool 1: Oak body with flared metal-capped ends, about 7\"
• Spool 2: Light maple/beech with natural wood flanges and traces of red and green paint, about 7\"
• Spool 3: Large walnut-toned spool with wide metal caps; one end has a slotted steel mounting plate with screws, about 10\"
• Spool 4: Long dark-stained spool with black fiber end caps, marked H&P Spool & Bobbin Co., about 9½\"
• Spool 5: Oak body with metal caps and a scalloped crimped rim; the end shows original green and red mill-paint color coding, about 6\"
• Spool 6: Powder-blue painted spool with metal-capped ends and a keyed spindle opening, about 5\"
• Spool 7: Medium brown spool with metal-capped ends (see group photo)

Maker: H&P Spool and Bobbin Co., Lawrence, MA (one spool); others unmarked
Materials: Turned hardwood with metal and fiber end fittings
Era: Early to mid 20th century (estimated)
Origin: American mill use

🔍 Condition — Please Read Carefully

These are genuine factory-used pieces, and the wear is part of their character. Please review all photos.

• Wood bodies: Scuffs, dings, dark stains, and grain checking. Spool 1 has a few dark spots on the shaft.
• Metal caps: Dents, scratches, and dull oxidized patina throughout.
• End faces: Some ends show green corrosion/verdigris around the spindle openings. Spool 3’s mounting plate has a split in the wood ring around it. Spool 4’s fiber cap has a chip at the edge.
• Paint: Remnants of mill color-coding paint (red, green, blue) on several pieces.
• Other: Some ends shed light wood dust. All spools stand on their own.

Overall these are well-used industrial relics with honest, age-appropriate wear. They are not pristine.

🏭 About Textile Mill Bobbins

Most mills ordered wooden bobbins made specifically for their own machinery, which is why sizes and shapes vary so widely. Painted ends and bands were often used to color-code yarn types or machines on the mill floor. In the U.S., most mill bobbins and spools came from a group of Northeast makers in the Bobbin Manufacturing Association. These included American Bobbin Co. (Lewiston, ME), Parker Bobbin & Spool Co. (Lowell, MA), Bobbin & Shuttle Co. (Nashua, NH), and Vermont Spool & Bobbin Co. (Burlington, VT). Wooden bobbins were eventually retired because they were labor-intensive to make and poorly suited to synthetic fibers and high-speed machinery.

H&P Spool and Bobbin Co. made spools and bobbins in Lawrence, Massachusetts, one of New England’s great mill cities on the Merrimack River. Robert W. Hambleton bought the company in 1954 and ran it until a fire destroyed the factory in 1986. That ended production, so marked H&P pieces are a finite piece of Lawrence’s textile history.

Contemporaries: Collectors may also look for spools by Wauds and Bowen Hunter. Other bobbin makers in Lawrence included L. Sprague Co. (established 1864) and U.S. Bobbin & Shuttle Co. England’s Stott Park Bobbin Mill in Cumbria (1835–1971) is a preserved example of the mills that made these parts.

📏 Display Notes

These spools look great grouped on a mantel, shelf, or tray, or used as candle holders (with a proper insert). They also work as ribbon or twine holders or rustic bowl fillers. Wipe them with a dry cloth only. A light paste wax will deepen the wood tone, but it’s best not to strip the original patina or paint.

📦 Shipping

Each spool will be individually wrapped in bubble wrap and packed snugly in a sturdy box. The lot ships via USPS Ground Advantage with tracking. Handling time is up to three business days after the sale.

💰 Buy It Now Price: $79.95

Questions? Feel free to message before buying. Smoke-free home.