What is a vinaigrette?

A tiny box with a pierced grille set inside the lid, made to hold a sponge soaked in scented vinegar. They sit within the snuff and pill box group, which accounts for about a quarter of the category, alongside patch boxes and squeeze-action tobacco boxes.

Are these boxes mostly Georgian?

No. Georgian runs to around 206 listings against 681 described as Edwardian and 622 as Victorian. The bulk of the dated pieces fall between the 1890s and the 1930s. A tail of mid-twentieth-century hallmarks, into the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, sits inside the same category.

Which assay office turns up most?

Birmingham, by a clear margin: 312 titles name it, against 135 for Chester and 133 for London. Sheffield appears too. Scottish provincial marks such as Aberdeen and Edinburgh show up only once in a blue moon.

Why do some listings say boxed rather than box?

Because the box is the packaging. Close to a tenth of the listings are silver objects supplied in their original case: napkin rings, spoons, salts, christening sets and cutlery. Titles like "Pair of Silver Napkin Rings in Original Boxes" belong to that group rather than to the boxes proper.

What does silver mounted on another material mean?

Silver used as a lid, rim or mount over a body of something else. Tortoiseshell and glass are the commonest, with agate, porcelain, mother of pearl, shagreen and horn also appearing. This accounts for a fifth or so of listings, and it overlaps the trinket and snuff groups rather than sitting apart from them.

Do non-British boxes appear in this category?

They do, in small numbers. Indian and Ceylon table boxes, German Hanau work, Dutch, Danish, Austrian, Swedish, Belgian, French and Italian pieces all turn up. Chinese export, Indo-Chinese and Japanese mixed-metal boxes appear as well, each a handful at most against the English hallmarked bulk.