"Made by Mechi,
4 Leadenhall St.
London."

J.J. Mechi was at 130 Leadenhall St according to Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660-1840 (source Directories)

We have handled several boxes by Mechi and have recorded these in Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society, 1700--1880 
Antigone Clarke & Joseph O'Kelly, ISBN: 076431688

"Item 1. Small gentleman's dressing box veneered in coromandel. Very fine quality. Interior beautifully lined in blue velvet and leather. Silver tops dated 1851, engraved with flowers and central visor with feathers. Central plaque on top of the box, with engraved visor encircled by a belt, containing the motto Nihil Sine Deo.

"Item 2. Lady's dressing box veneered in rosewood, with stylized floral inlay in mother of pearl. This is unusual, as most dressing boxes feature brass decoration. Sunk in side handles in brass. The interior lined in green leather and bright green silk. The internal mirror is edged in rosewood and can be removed from the lid and stand independently. Silver tops dating from the 1840s. Side jewelry drawer with separate lock. Very good subtle quality.

"Item 3. Sewing box veneered in rosewood. Mother of pearl escutcheon and fine pewter inlay. Tray inside lined with paper with a leafy gold pattern. Tops covered in soft blue taffeta silk. The inside of the lid is lined with an "envelope" covered in blue taffeta and opening with a silver catch. Very fine work. Regency period."

In Notes and Queries Number 65, January 25, 1851 
read the ebook Notes and Queries, Number 65, January 25, 1851:

"* * * * * WHERE TO BUY A DRESSING CASE. In no article perhaps is caution more necessary than in the purchase of a Dressing Case, for in none are the meretricious arts of the unprincipled manufacturer more frequently displayed. MECHI, 4. LEADENHALL STREET, near Gracechurch Street, has long enjoyed the reputation of producing a Dressing Case in the most finished and faultless manner. Those who purchase of him will be sure of having thoroughly-seasoned and well-prepared wood or leather, with the fittings of first-rate quality. The prices range from 1l. to 100l. Thus the man of fortune and he of moderate means may alike be suited, while the traveller will find the Mechian Dressing Case especially adapted to his necessities.--4. LEADENHALL STREET. * * * * *

In 1833 John Joseph Mechi who lived at 4 Leadenhall St gave evidence that  helped to convict Henry Gordon at the Old Bailey of steeling cloth and clothing from the Mechi dwelling. 

Gordon, aged 25, was sentenced to transportation for life.

See: www.oldbaileyonline.org/   

John Joseph Mechi's brief biography is given at:
www.london-city-history.org.uk/biography.htm  

"Mechi, John Joseph (1802-1880)

"businessman, agriculturist and City activist was born in London on 22 May 1802. His father, Giacomo, was from Bologna and held a position in the Court of George 111. Royal connections were maintained as John claimed an early acquaintance with Queen Charlotte and a fishing companion in the Duke of Sussex. As a youth of 16 he was placed as a clerk in a mercantile house in Walbrook, concerned with Newfoundland trade. He remained here for ten years until, having saved enough money, he opened his own shop in Leadenhall Street. Here, he designed the ‘Magic Razor Strop’, making enough money from the business in the 1830s to move to larger premises but which thereafter suffered when beards became fashionable. Despite this setback and not for the first time, Mechi reinvented himself. This time, from 1859 to 1869, he went into partnership with Charles Bazan (Frederick Keats of Fortnum & Mason’s was a colleague) marketing a patent in shop window lamps at 112 Regent Street.

"By this time he had began to construct a model farm at Tiptree Heath in Essex. This was the subject of extensive publications, including the best seller How to Farm Profitably (1857). The emphasis was on the use of deep drainage and steam power.

"Surprisingly, perhaps, Mechi found time to marry twice: first in 1823 to Fanny Frost, and second to Charlotte Ward in 1846. The combined product of both unions was several daughters and one son. He also gave his time to a number of other causes. He was member of the Council of the Society of Arts, Juror in the Department of Arts and Science at the 1851 General Exhibition and at the Industrial Exhibition in Paris in 1855, as well as founder of the Royal Agricultural Benefit Institution.

"Within the City of London he was appointed as a Sheriff in 1856 and Alderman in the ward of Lime Street in 1858. His luck run out in 1866, with the failure of the Unity Joint Stock Bank, and a hapless connection with the General Life Assurance Office eventually forced the liquidation of his assets. He resigned his Aldermanic gown and after several bad seasons on the farm, developed diabetes. He died at Tiptree Hall on 26 December 1880 and was buried at the local church on the first day of the New Year."