A Scottish snuff container, typically made from horn with a hinged silver lid. Some are pocket-sized, others are table pieces on a scale nothing else in the category matches. The heaviest object in the Sellingantiques archive for this category is one of them: a Scottish horn table mull with agate mounts, weighing 1.4kg.

Why are so many boxes marked Birmingham?

Birmingham is named in 50 titles, against 36 for London and 17 for Chester. That weighting is unusual for silver generally. It reflects where the trade sat. A large share of small boxes of this kind were Birmingham-made, and the town's mark follows them through the Georgian and Victorian runs.

Are snuff boxes and pill boxes the same thing?

In the listings they often are. Dealers catalogue the same object under two or three names at once: 61 titles say pill, 36 say trinket, 21 say vinaigrette and 21 say tobacco. A vinaigrette is a distinct form, with a pierced inner grille that held a scented sponge. Pill and trinket, by contrast, describe use rather than construction, and small hinged silver boxes take all three labels.

How old are most of these boxes?

The dated field runs from 1700 to 1960. Georgian and Victorian pieces together account for most of the stock that carries a date. Where titles give an actual year, they cluster in two bands: 1780 to 1860, and 1890 to 1930. Both ends are thin, with only a handful reaching back to around 1710 to 1750 and a few carrying mid-20th-century hallmarks such as 1946, 1964 and 1966. Many period labels are buckets rather than readings, so "19th Century" or "Georgian" in a listing means a range.

Do novelty shapes come up?

Once in a blue moon, and almost never twice. A snail, a fox head, a recumbent cow, a cockerel, a French bulldog, a Dutch clog, a Brazil nut, a terrapin and a roulette wheel each appear a single time in the archive. The largest measurement recorded anywhere in the category is an 8.75-inch pheasant-shaped snuff bottle.

How often do silver snuff boxes come up for sale?

About 73 come to market on Sellingantiques in a year, listed by 62 different dealers. That makes this one of the most widely stocked small-silver categories on the site, so the range on offer at any moment is broad rather than narrow.

Home > Silver > Silver Snuff Boxes > Page 3

Antique Silver Snuff Boxes

118 items · page 3 of 8

← Page 3 of 8 →

Small hinged-lid silver boxes made to keep a personal supply of powdered snuff dry, along with the larger flat table boxes that sat out after dinner and were passed round.

Antique Georgian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Scene of Venus - London 1810.

18th century

Save

Antique Georgian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Scene of Venus - London 1810.

From Artisan Antiques

£4,500

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

Save

Antique Georgian Solid Silver Large Snuff Box Floral Chased Border - Joseph Willmore 1832

From Artisan Antiques

£1,250

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

Save

Victorian Silver Novelty Crocodile Skin Trunk Box, Birmingham 1899

From Sandbanks Antiques

£850

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

Save

Art Nouveau Silver and Enamel Pill Box by George Adam Scheid

From Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts

£420

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

Save

Antique Victorian Silver Table Snuff Box, Birmingham 1873

From Highland Antiques Ltd

£595

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

Antique Victorian Scottish Horn and Citrine Vinaigrette, Scottish C.1860

19th century

Save

Antique Victorian Scottish Horn and Citrine Vinaigrette, Scottish C.1860

From Highland Antiques Ltd

£695

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

Save

Chester Silver Snuff Box

From Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)

£275

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

Save

A Stunning Bi-colour Enamel & Silver Small Trinket Box

From Andrew Cox Antiques

£225

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

Save

Victorian Silver Snuff Box Chester 1899

From Treehouse Antiques

£165

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

Save

George the 3rd Silver Snuff Box 1789

From Treehouse Antiques

£245

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

The most expensive silver snuff box ever sold on Sellingantiques was a George III silver gilt box with a heavy cast top, London 1824, sold in May 2023.

19th century

Save

George III Sterling Silver Snuff Box

From Piers Rankin Antique Silver

£375

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

Save

1800 Rare Fine Irish Silver Snuff Box by Fbs Wonderful Hamilton Crest 76g

From Dudley Antique Silver

£680

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

Save

Scottish George III Antique Silver Snuff Box, Edinburgh 1776

From Highland Antiques Ltd

£995

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

Save

Continental Sterling Silver and Enamel Card or Cheroot Case

From Piers Rankin Antique Silver

£850

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

Save

Antique Georgian Sterling Silver Snuff Box 1823

From Robert Bush Antiques

£375

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

Save

George IV Silver Gilt Vinaigrette Birmingham 1829 John Bettridge

From Queens Antiques and Collectables

£165

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

← 1 2 3 4 5 ... 8 →

Antique Silver Snuff Boxes

Antique Georgian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Scene of Venus - London 1810.

Antique Georgian Solid Silver Large Snuff Box Floral Chased Border - Joseph Willmore 1832

Victorian Silver Novelty Crocodile Skin Trunk Box, Birmingham 1899

Art Nouveau Silver and Enamel Pill Box by George Adam Scheid

Antique Victorian Silver Table Snuff Box, Birmingham 1873

Antique Victorian Scottish Horn and Citrine Vinaigrette, Scottish C.1860

Chester Silver Snuff Box

A Stunning Bi-colour Enamel & Silver Small Trinket Box

Victorian Silver Snuff Box Chester 1899

George the 3rd Silver Snuff Box 1789

George III Sterling Silver Snuff Box

1800 Rare Fine Irish Silver Snuff Box by Fbs Wonderful Hamilton Crest 76g

Scottish George III Antique Silver Snuff Box, Edinburgh 1776

Continental Sterling Silver and Enamel Card or Cheroot Case

Antique Georgian Sterling Silver Snuff Box 1823

George IV Silver Gilt Vinaigrette Birmingham 1829 John Bettridge

Add keywords to the filter

Price

Era

Period

Style

Material

Origin

Stock Location

Recently Added

Online Payments

Categories