English antique sterling silver snuff box with a lavish gilt interior, hallmarked from London in 1822/23 with the makers mark being (WE) possibly William Edwards.
It carries a family crest to the lid which we have not researched.
A small dink on base side and another couple of very very minor flat spots all very minor.
The box on the detailed areas is finished in a light gold gilt wash, the plain areas have had no such finish, light wear to exterior gilt, interior gilt remains all intact.
A good size and weight,measures 79x28x25mm.
1 in stock
English antique sterling silver snuff box with a lavish gilt interior, hallmarked from London in 1822/23 with the makers mark being (WE) possibly William Edwards.
It carries a family crest to the lid which we have not researched.
A small dink on base side and another couple of very very minor flat spots all very minor.
The box on the detailed areas is finished in a light gold gilt wash, the plain areas have had no such finish, light wear to exterior gilt, interior gilt remains all intact.
A good size and weight,measures 79x28x25mm.
| DATE | 1822 |
| MAKER or SPONSOR MARK | possibly William Edwards |
| ASSAY OFFICE | London |
| WEIGHT (Grammes) | 84 |
| WEIGHT (Troy) | 2.70 |
| REF:- | 570H |
Snuff boxes were and, indeed still are, used to store tobacco powder or snuff. The practice of snuffing (the inhalation of the tobacco powder known as snuff) began as early as the late 15th Century. At this time, tobacco use had become popular in England following the discovery of the New World. By the mid-17th Century, inhaling snuff was extremely popular and even women were partaking!
By the early 18th Century the nobility had also started to practice the use of snuff and needed something appropriate to hold their snuff.
As a result, in the later part of the 18th Century, craftsmen began producing decorative boxes for this purpose. They used precious metals like silver and gold and other materials like ivory, horn or tortoise shell to create the boxes.
Snuff boxes came in large and small sizes. The larger boxes were for communal use at social gatherings whereas the smaller boxes were for personal use.
It was Sheffield that primarily made silver snuff boxes during the 16th Century. Likewise, Birmingham produced others during the late 17th Century. They were often decorative with views of famous buildings engraved on the lids or boxes sides.
| Origin | English |
|---|---|
| Period | George IV 1820-1830 |
| Sponsor/Maker | possibly William Edwards |
| REF CODE | 570H |
Situated within the Central belt of Scotland (UK), we are a small, family run business. Indeed, we traded in silver for many years before forming Dart Silver Ltd in 2006.
As we are collectors ourselves, we fully appreciate that money is hard earned! For this reason we therefore try to provide informative descriptions as well as high quality photographic images of all our items. Hopefully this will make your purchase as smooth as possible.
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While we obviously have to make a living, we strive very hard to offer goods at competitive prices. In many instances this is at large discounts compared to other dealers or traders.
Above all, we very much appreciate your decision to stop by for a visit and thank you in advance should you decide to shop with us. Even if you don’t make a purchase this time, please feel free to stop by again soon as we regularly add new stock items.
Situated within the Central belt of Scotland (UK), we are a small, family run business. Indeed, we traded in silver for many years before forming Dart Silver Ltd in 2006.
