How many patch boxes come up in a year?

Around eleven come to market on Sellingantiques in a year, and 26 different dealers have listed one, so no single dealer holds the field. That makes it a small category with a wide spread of sources, and the unusual shapes and materials tend to appear singly rather than in runs.

Why are so many listed as snuff boxes too?

One title in five sells the box as a snuff box as well as a patch box, and several are headed Patch / Snuff Box outright. The objects are the same size and construction, so dealers describe them by both uses. The double naming is more common among the boxes currently for sale than in the older archive.

What date are Bilston enamel patch boxes given?

The recurring date in titles is circa 1770 to 1780, sometimes written c. 1770 or circa 1780. Most listings across the category use a broad bracket instead: 18th Century on 32 of them, Georgian on 13, with only eight carrying a clean year.

Are patch boxes always enamel?

No. Enamel dominates, appearing in over half of all titles, but a steady minority use other materials: turned treen, Tunbridge ware, tortoiseshell, silver, papier mâché, coquilla nut and ceramic. The wooden boxes tend to be later, dated around c1840 to c1880, and sit at the bottom of the range.

Do any come from outside Britain?

A few. Japanese cloisonné dated around 1900, Chinese coromandel and ivory, a Chinese Beijing enamel, a French white metal box with tortoiseshell lining and a Dutch Delft box all turn up. They arrive as scattered singles, and the Beijing enamel snuff box sits alone at the very top of the range.

What is the oldest patch box recorded?

A Dutch Delft snuff and patch box catalogued as before 1700, the only 17th-century piece in the archive. One other listing carries a 17th Century date field but is titled as an 18th-century silver box, so field and title do not always agree.

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Antique Patch Boxes

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A small lidded box, usually palm-sized or less, made to carry the cut-out silk or velvet beauty patches that fashionable faces wore in the 18th century.