Why are so many marked Birmingham or Chester?

Birmingham carries 74 of the 413 titles and Chester 51, between them 125. London manages 12. The small silver trade worked to the provincial offices, and the vesta case is a provincial product on this evidence rather than a London one.

What is a match safe?

The same object under a different name. The term is used mainly for American examples, which turn up only a handful of times across the archive. British listings stick to 'vesta case'.

How old are most of them?

The dealer dates run from 1860 to 1960, with the decade buckets tight on the 1910s, 1900s and 1920s. Edwardian and Victorian labels together cover more than half. The 1880s, 1890s and 1930s are thin. Anything before about 1860 or after about 1935 is exceptional. Titles are often more precise than the reign label, quoting an exact assay year. Birmingham 1906 alone appears in eight.

Which forms are the unusual ones?

Novelty appears in 13 titles and heart in 11. Beyond those, a boar, an elephant, a cat, a fish, a golf ball, a bean, a piano, a domino, a padlock and a life buoy each turn up. One-offs include a mussel shell, a sarcophagus, a 1797 cartwheel penny mounted as a case and a maze puzzle case under Morton's Patent.

Are enamelled vesta cases common?

Enamel appears in 23 titles, about one in twenty of the archive, and more among current stock. The subjects repeat: pug, bulldog and Jack Russell heads, yacht club burgees, coats of arms, jockey colours and hand-painted roses. Several of the highest-placed listings are enamelled.

Do military associations show up on these?

They run as a small steady seam. Seaforth Highlanders, 9th Lancers, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment all appear. Naval examples include a submarine depot case and one for HMS Prince George.

Home > Silver > Silver Vesta Cases > Page 3

Antique Silver Vesta Cases

73 items · page 3 of 5

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A small hinged silver box with a ribbed striker, made to carry friction matches safely in a waistcoat pocket or on a watch chain.

Stylish Silver Vesta Case Hallmarked Birmingham 1912

1900 - 1920

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Stylish Silver Vesta Case Hallmarked Birmingham 1912

From Woodbridge Antiques

£110

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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Antique Edwardian Sterling Silver Vesta Case with Enamel Crest - 1905

From Kingsdown Antiques

£225

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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George V Silver Vesta Case 1919

From Silver Antiques Online

£145

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Victorian Silver Vesta Case 1898

From Silver Antiques Online

£145

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Fine Victorian Small Silver Double Compartment Snuff Box & Vesta 1860 Combination

From The Fancy Fox

£425

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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An Edward Prince of Wales Royal Presentation Silver Vesta Case by Alfred Clark

From Sandbanks Antiques

£3,750

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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A Handsome Edwardian Silver Double Sovereign Case

From Andrew Cox Antiques

£225

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Collectable Antique Sterling Silver Vesta Case with St. Andrews Golfer Engraving - 1897

From Kingsdown Antiques

£235

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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George V Silver Vesta Case 1926

From Silver Antiques Online

£145

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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19th Century Heavy Cast Silver Snuff Box, C1880

From Robert Belcher Antiques

£295

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

Birmingham and Chester account for 125 of the 413 vesta case titles on Sellingantiques, against twelve for London. The provincial offices define this category.

1900 - 1920

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George V Period Silver Match Case Holder

From Sturmans Antiques

£119

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

1900 - 1920

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Rare Arts & Craft Silver Vesta Case by J.b. Bennet, Birmingham 1906

From Julie Cartwright Antiques

£185

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Sampson Mordan Silver Vesta Case

From Art Deco And More

£225

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Silver and Gold Vesta with Jewels

From Art Deco And More

£425

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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A Rare Victorian Silver Novelty Elephant Vesta Case Dated 1899

From Sandbanks Antiques

£1,450

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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A Rare Victorian Silver Enamel Dog Head (Jack Russell) Vesta Case 1886

From Sandbanks Antiques

£1,150

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

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Antique Silver Vesta Cases

Stylish Silver Vesta Case Hallmarked Birmingham 1912

Antique Edwardian Sterling Silver Vesta Case with Enamel Crest - 1905

George V Silver Vesta Case 1919

Victorian Silver Vesta Case 1898

Fine Victorian Small Silver Double Compartment Snuff Box & Vesta 1860 Combination

An Edward Prince of Wales Royal Presentation Silver Vesta Case by Alfred Clark

A Handsome Edwardian Silver Double Sovereign Case

Collectable Antique Sterling Silver Vesta Case with St. Andrews Golfer Engraving - 1897

George V Silver Vesta Case 1926

19th Century Heavy Cast Silver Snuff Box, C1880

George V Period Silver Match Case Holder

Rare Arts & Craft Silver Vesta Case by J.b. Bennet, Birmingham 1906

Sampson Mordan Silver Vesta Case

Silver and Gold Vesta with Jewels

A Rare Victorian Silver Novelty Elephant Vesta Case Dated 1899

A Rare Victorian Silver Enamel Dog Head (Jack Russell) Vesta Case 1886

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