Italy Snuff Box

Find many varieties of an authentic Italy snuff box available at 1stDibs. A Italy snuff box — often made from metal, silver and sterling silver — can elevate any home. There are 93 variations of the antique or vintage Italy snuff box you’re looking for, while we also have 12 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect Italy snuff box — we have versions that date back to the 18th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. Each Italy snuff box bearing mid-century modern, Art Nouveau or Art Deco hallmarks is very popular. Many designers have produced at least one well-made Italy snuff box over the years, but those crafted by Franco Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni and Fornasetti are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

Prices for a Italy snuff box can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $136 and can go as high as $34,500, while the average can fetch as much as $1,500.

Today antique snuffboxes and tobacco boxes — as well as a lot of other vintage tobacco accessories — are collectibles and charming pieces of decor for any display case or to elevate your bookshelves.

Snuff, made of ground tobacco, was especially popular with Europeans in the 1600s. The ornate boxes to keep the powder dry became highly decorative by the 18th century. It was considered a must-have item, particularly for nobility.

The most important feature of a snuffbox was that it was airtight. The box protected the snuff from oxygen. Another crucial component was the flat lid.

Snuffboxes could be small enough to fit into a pocket or a larger container for communal use at the table. They also came in different shapes. Porcelain containers were prevalent and often designed to look like trunks. Others were oval or square. Boxes made with cowrie shells were rare and more expensive.

Snuffboxes were usually crafted from silver, gold, horn or tortoiseshell. Some of the most prestigious snuffboxes were French tabatières made of gold and sometimes glass. They could be adorned with amethysts, sapphires and diamonds and enameled, engraved or chased.

Sheffield, England, was known for its silver snuffboxes in the late 18th century as its silver-plating technologies perfected these containers. By the early 19th century, the silver industry in Birmingham, England, was producing elegant snuffboxes with images of abbeys and castles on the sides and top.

Another type of tobacco box was the snuff mull or mill. It was made out of horn or an entire ram’s head and topped with a metal lid, frequently featuring engravings and decorative hinges. These were fashionable in Scotland during the 19th century. The origin of its name is unclear.

On 1stDibs, find a plentiful range of antique snuffboxes and tobacco boxes to complement any home decor or furniture style. You can browse the collection by style, which includes Victorian, Georgian and Art Deco, or by material to find pieces in silver and gold.