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.

Georgian Brass Navette Shaped Table Snuff Box

18th century

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Georgian Brass Navette Shaped Table Snuff Box

From William Rand Antiques

£150

1 MONTH AGO

boxes

Victorian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Robert Thornton Birmingham 1876 (83g)

19th century

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Victorian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Robert Thornton Birmingham 1876 (83g)

From Queens Antiques and Collectables

£280

1 MONTH AGO

boxes

Large William IV Silver Gilt Snuff Box Thomas Shaw Birmingham 1836 (82.7g)

19th century

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Large William IV Silver Gilt Snuff Box Thomas Shaw Birmingham 1836 (82.7g)

From Queens Antiques and Collectables

£295

2 MONTHS AGO

boxes

Early Victorian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Edward Smith Birmingham 1840

19th century

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Early Victorian Silver Gilt Snuff Box Edward Smith Birmingham 1840

From Queens Antiques and Collectables

£295

2 MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Snuff / Pill Box - 1896 - Welsh Motto

From Robert Bush Antiques

£375

2 MONTHS AGO

boxes

Antique Early 20thc Metalware Brass Snuff Box Engraved with the Name Ted. Feltham - 1911 - Carter. Frome

1900 - 1920

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Antique Early 20thc Metalware Brass Snuff Box Engraved with the Name Ted. Feltham - 1911 - Carter. Frome

From Mark Seabrook Antiques

£120

2 MONTHS AGO

boxes

Russian Papier-mâché Lacquer Cigarette Case Attributed to the Vishnyakov Workshop, C.1850-1870

19th century

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Russian Papier-mâché Lacquer Cigarette Case Attributed to the Vishnyakov Workshop, C.1850-1870

From Ritas Bazaar

£550

2 MONTHS AGO

miscellaneous

Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Snuff Box 1855

19th century

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Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Snuff Box 1855

From Robert Bush Antiques

£425

2 MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Large Antique Victorian Military Silver Snuff Box, London 1838

From Highland Antiques Ltd

£1,995

2 MONTHS AGO

silver

19th century

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Oval Horn Snuff Box

From Millers Antiques

£125

2 MONTHS AGO

boxes

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