What is an antique tobacco snuff box?

An antique tobacco snuff box is a pocket or table container designed to hold ground tobacco for inhalation. These objects were essential personal accessories during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Craftsmen produced them in a wide variety of materials, ranging from precious silver and gold to brass, horn, wood, and papier-mâché. Each piece reflects the fashion and social customs of its specific period of manufacture.

How were snuff boxes used?

Users carried these vessels in pockets or placed them on tables to offer pinches of snuff to guests during social gatherings. The act of opening a hinged lid and taking tobacco was a structured social ritual. Some larger table boxes served as stationary containers for communal use in homes or offices. Pocket versions were engineered to remain securely closed during travel to prevent the loss of dry powder.

How do I date an antique snuff box?

Dating relies primarily on metal hallmarks stamped onto silver and gold pieces, which indicate the assay office, city, and year of production. Stylistic clues, such as Georgian navette shapes or Edwardian planished surfaces, also help establish age. Materials and construction methods provide further context, as papier-mâché lacquer pieces and folk art treen carvings often correspond to specific decades in the nineteenth century.

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Antique Tobacco Snuff Box

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An antique tobacco snuff box is a small pocket vessel made to hold powdered tobacco, offering a tangible connection to personal habits of the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras.

A Fabulous Edwardian Silver Gilt Snuff/ Tobacco Box

1900 - 1920

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A Fabulous Edwardian Silver Gilt Snuff/ Tobacco Box

From Andrew Cox Antiques

£285

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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19th Century Pewter Snuff Box

From William Rand Antiques

£125

3+ MONTHS AGO

boxes

Victorian Silver Table Snuff Box by David Pettifer

19th century

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Victorian Silver Table Snuff Box by David Pettifer

From Deco Interiors

£785

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

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William IV Antique Silver Snuff Box, Edward Smith 1836

From Highland Antiques Ltd

£1,795

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

18th century

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A Rare and Interesting Dutch Early 18th Century Heavy Gauge Brass Table Snuff or Tobacco Box

From Gerard Robinson Fine Art and Antiques

£245

3+ MONTHS AGO

boxes

19th century

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A Very Smart Pocket Snuff Box

From Gerard Robinson Fine Art and Antiques

£245

3+ MONTHS AGO

boxes

Antique Georgian Silver Large Tobacco Box with Crest - James Phipps I (London) C.1770

18th century

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Antique Georgian Silver Large Tobacco Box with Crest - James Phipps I (London) C.1770

From Artisan Antiques

£850

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Victorian Sterling Silver Table Snuff Box

From Piers Rankin Antique Silver

£1,050

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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A Delightful Misers Snuff Box

From Gerard Robinson Fine Art and Antiques

£245

3+ MONTHS AGO

boxes

Superb Quality Nathaniel Mills Silver Table Snuff Box

19th century

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Superb Quality Nathaniel Mills Silver Table Snuff Box

From Piers Rankin Antique Silver

£1,050

3+ MONTHS AGO

silver

Listings feature items spanning the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods, executed in sterling silver, silver gilt, brass, lacquer, papier-mâché, wood, horn, and bone.