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Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes For Sale
Pill Box Round, domed in Silver Sterling Enamel on a guilloche pattern Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Gold-Plated Sterling Silver and Enamel Pill Box with Floral Miniature by Romano Buccioni, Salimbeni, Florence, 1980 Exquisite shaped pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver, gold plate...
Category

1980s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Italian 1920 Renaissance Revival Enameled Octagonal Box in .800 Silver
Located in Miami, FL
An Italian enamelled snuff box. Colorful box, created in Italy, back in the 1920. It was crafted in an octagonal shape with neoclassical and renaissance Revival motifs in solid .8...
Category

1920s Italian Renaissance Revival Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver, Enamel

19th Century English Long Silver Trinket Box
Located in Marbella, ES
19th century English long silver trinket box.
Category

Mid-20th Century English Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Fine Vintage Enamel Bilston Battersea Box Victorian Hot Air Balloon Scene
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Vintage Hand Painted Enamel Trinket box by Crummles & Co. The piece features a Victorian ballooning scene.
Category

1980s British Victorian Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Metal, Enamel

French 1750 Antique Double Compartment Pocket Snuff Flask Carved In Coquille Nut
Located in Miami, FL
Pocket snuff flask carved from coquille nut. Amazing small pocket snuff bottle, carved from a large coquille nut. This antique piece was created in the shape of a spinning top with two secret compartments which can be unscrewed to open. Made in the continental Europe and most probably French or Portuguese provenance from the 18th century, circa 1780. Extensively decorated with organic and floral motifs with a beautiful image of a nut on the upper part. Curiously due to the shape of this piece, it could be played as a spinning tool on a table. This adds a particular interest for the multiple use with which the carving was conceived. Weight: 42.60 Grams. Measurements: Diameter of 40 mm and a height of 89 mm (1.57 x 3.5 Inches). Hallmarks: No marks, gorgeous deep antique patina. Coquille Nut The coquille nut emanates from swampy areas on the eastern side of South America, from a palm known as the “attalea funiefera”. Brazilians call it “Piassabe”. The nuts were introduced into Western Europe in the mid-16th century, and used for small carved objects until the end of the 19th century. Coquille nut is a fruit of a Brazilian palm...
Category

1750s French Louis XV Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Chestnut, Fruitwood

Antique Tortoiseshell Singing Bird Box, Most Probably by Bontems
Located in London, GB
A antique tortoiseshell singing bird box, most probably by Bontems, Going barrel movement, Gilt metal two-tone brilliance... When wound and start/stop slide moved to the right, the bird pops up through foliate chased gilt grille, then proceeds to move bone beak, wings and body from side-to-side to good complex continuous synchronized birdsong. The bird with streaked feathered plumage in brown, yellow, turquoise and red, lime green and purple iridescent highlights, highly polished lid interior for full bird reflection, in plain polished tortoiseshell case, twinned laurel leaf engraved bird lid border with the bird lid engraved with love birds and rose united beneath leaf swag arch, accentuated with gilt on silvered ground, hidden key...
Category

1880s French Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Tortoise Shell

18th Century Chinese Beijing enamel snuff box
Located in Basildon, GB
An 18th Century Chinese Beijing enamel snuff box finely painted to the lid and sides with typical Chinese scenes, the base painted with a leafy gourd. The lid is mounted in gilt bron...
Category

18th Century Chinese Qing Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

English 18th Century Gold-Mounted Agate Snuff-Box
Located in Paris, FR
Agate box or snuff-box in of circular form with gently bombé sides, the gold mounted lid is chased with scrollwork. Probably Georges II period. Unmarked gold...
Category

1750s English George II Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Agate, Gold

Antique 9k Yellow Gold Vesta Case by Adie Brothers Ltd (1922)
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English 9 karat yellow gold vesta case; an addition to our boxes and cases collection. This exceptional antique George V English...
Category

1920s English George V Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold

Silver Mustard Pot / Antique Sterling Sliver Seasoning Pot
Located in BILBAO, ES
Silver mustard pot / Antique sterling sliver seasoning pot Antique sterling silver mustard / glass lined seasoning pot 1919 Beautifully crafted ant...
Category

1610s British Romantic Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

Rare large Swiss Black Forest Tobacco box with Chickens 19th century Humidor
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
A charming and finely detailed 19th-century Black Forest–style hand-carved tobacco jar. Entirely carved from wood and executed with remarkable depth and texture. A rare large size to...
Category

Late 19th Century German Black Forest Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Oak

Antique Austro-Hungarian 1824 Silver Box
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austro-Hungarian silver box, an addition to the ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique silver box...
Category

1820s Austrian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Antique Asian Export Silver Cigarette Case with Battlescene
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A fine entirely handcrafted antique cigarette case with a gilded interior. Its front depicts a battle scene where the warriors, presumably Chine...
Category

19th Century Asian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Antique Pictorial enamel and underbelly-cut tortoiseshell singing bird box
Located in London, GB
A fine antique pictorial enamel and underbelly-cut tortoiseshell singing bird box, Circa 1910, Going-barrel movement, Soft streaks of light throughout this fabulous case... When wound and start/stop slide moved to the right, the bird emerges through the pierced and tooled gilt grille, moving bone beak, wings and body from side-to-side to continuous synchronized birdsong. With the bird displaying...
Category

1890s Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Tortoise Shell

Sterling Silver Snuff or Trinket Box
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
19th century sterling silver monogrammed snuff or trinket box.
Category

19th Century Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Antique South Staffordshire or Battersea Enamel Table Snuff Box, 18th Century
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique English South Staffordshire or Battersea enamel table snuff box. With a pink ground and white enamel latticework decoration thro...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Enamel

Antique Austrian Silver Table Snuff Box
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austrian silver table snuff box; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This excepti...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Ceramic and Silver Plate Biscuit Box, Art Deco Period, circa 1920, Signed G.A.
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Ceramic and silver plate biscuit box. Art Deco period, circa 1920. Probably German, signed in the silver plate G.A.
Category

1920s German Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver Plate

Gold and Agate Snuff Box Belonging to Anne, First Duchess of Buccleuch
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
This oval gold snuff box is inscribed with a crest of ‘a stag trippant’ within mantling of upright ostrich plumes tied with a bow, all below a ducal coronet and above a cypher of the entwined initials ‘B.A.B.’ for Anne of Buccleuch. English, circa 1670. Provenance: Anne, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch (1651-1732) was a wealthy Scottish peeress. After her father died when she was a few months old, and her sisters by the time she was 10, she inherited the family’s titles. She was married, at 12 years old, to James, 1st Duke of Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II, then 14. Following the king’s death in February 1685, James spearheaded an anti-Catholic revolt to depose the new king, James II, and claim the throne from his uncle. The brief Monmouth Rebellion ended in defeat and James, by then Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch, was executed for treason. The Duchess had six children by Monmouth, and a further three by her second husband, Charles, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, whom she married in 1688. She died in 1732 and was succeeded by her grandson, Francis, Earl of Dalkeith. The style of chasing used on this box is very reminiscent of a signed piece in the Gilbert...
Category

1670s English Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Agate, Gold

Aldo Tura, Pipe Shaped Parchment Tobacco Box, Macabo Italy 1950s
Located in Firenze, IT
Pipe shaped parchment and brass tobacco box designed by Aldo Tura Macabo Italy 1950s The box has two compartments, one for storing tobacco and anoth...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

Small 19th Century Papier-Mâché Snuff Box – Gilt Lacquer Decoration, c.1830
Located in Worcester, GB
Small 19th Century Papier-Mâché Snuff Box – Gilt Lacquer Decoration, c.1830 A small early 19th-century rectangular snuff box in papier-mâché, with gently domed lid and rounded corne...
Category

Early 19th Century British Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

Micromosaic Snuff Box
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptional micromosaic snuff box represents the heights of this ancient art form. Depicting four doves sitting atop a bronze dish, the inse...
Category

19th Century Neoclassical Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze

England 1780 Georgian Battersea Enamel Baroque Decorated Box in Gilded Bronze
Located in Miami, FL
Late 18th century Georgian Battersea enamel box. A beautiful antique English Battersea Bilston table snuff box, created in the district of Bat...
Category

1780s English George III Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

Antique sterling silver snuff box made in London in 1922
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1922 by Wright & Davies, this George V period, Antique Sterling Silver Snuff Box, is rectangular in shape, and features engine turned decoration to the outsid...
Category

1920s English Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Dutch Tobacco Jar - 19th century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Dutch Tobacco Jar Netherlands, 19th century 23 x 15 cm Georgian Dutch Tobacco Jar. Made from different woods, this ring turned Jars show a very nice patina.
Category

19th Century Dutch Georgian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Dutch Tobacco Jar - 19th century
Dutch Tobacco Jar - 19th century
$687 Sale Price
35% Off
19th Century Snuff Box with Intarsia
Located in Delft, NL
A 19th century snuff box with intarsia A horn snuff box with a diamond-shaped embedded smaller diamond-shaped surfaces on the box in relief. The box has been a utensil and is in goo...
Category

19th Century French Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Horn

Set of two Sterling Silver Cigarette Cases 19th and 20 Century, Mario Buccellat
Located in North Miami, FL
A set of two Italian Sterling silver cigarette cases from the 19th and 20th century. They have hand-stamped details and are engraved with flowers and scrolling acanthus. One of them ...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

Snuffbox Vessel Miniature Hand-Painted Sterling Silver Enamel Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Shaped snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamel inserted in a fine hand engraving and with round miniature diameter cm. 3.3 hand painted always with fire enamels depicting a sailing ship. Early 19th century Viennese Baroque style. Fine hand engraving on all sides and bottom. Measurements cm. 7.5 x 7.5 x 2. Weight gr. 151. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1976 on inspiration of ancient original artifacts and manufactured in Florence at the Salimbeni company headquarters in several specimens, also with different colors and miniatures, with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slabs and large reinforcements suitable for supporting numerous high-fire enamelled firings at approximately 750 < 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...
Category

1970s Italian Baroque Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Pressed Wood Snuff Box, 19th Century "Fete Flamande"
Located in Spencertown, NY
Dancing scene with violinist and dancing couple.
Category

Early 19th Century Belgian Empire Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

19th Century Swiss 18K Gold Enamel Vinaigrette, Jean-Georges Rémond c.1800
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique early-19th Century Swiss 18k gold vinaigrette, of rectangular form with cut corners, the lid features a seated cherub draped in red silk, engaged in writing, framed by a deli...
Category

19th Century Swiss Other Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold, Enamel

18th Century Dutch Tobacco Box Engraved Brass Snuff Box Brass with Figures
Located in Milano, MI
18th century Dutch brass tobacco box with hinged lid engraved with five circular medallions containing the busts of male noblemen figures with inscriptions and dates, the most recent...
Category

Mid-18th Century French Romantic Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Other, Brass

Set of 3 Japanese Inro Pill Boxes
Located in Munich, DE
These three antique handcrafted inro cases, are a wonderful collection of Japanese Sagemono (hanging object). These inro have several sections stacked ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Anglo-Japanese Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bone, Bamboo, Wood

German Porcelain Snuff Box
Located in New Orleans, LA
This important German porcelain snuff box exhibits delightful artistry and craftsmanship. Hand painted classical tableau celebrating the e...
Category

18th Century German Neoclassical Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Antique BENEDICT STUDIO Arts C Hammered Copper Humidor Sticklea era- W7976
Located in Shamokin Dam, PA
Antique Benedict Studio Arts & Crafts Hammered Copper Humidor - W7976 This is an antique c. early 1900s Arts & Crafts Hammered Copper Humidor by Benedict Studios. Looks like it has ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Copper

Cigarette dice dispenser by Legros Marius for Dunhill Paris 1930s
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Our Beautiful and limited Jeweler-made Cigarette Dispenser hallmarked by the silversmith Legros Marius for Dunhill that resembles a stacked pair of dice with playing cards on top. Discover the allure of a vintage pre-War Dunhill dice...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Victorian Period Hanau Continental Silver (.800) Snuff Box With Hinged Lid
Located in New York, NY
Victorian Period, Continental Silver (.800) snuff/trinkets box, having a hinged lid, Hanau, Germany, Ca. 1895. Box is decorated with Neoclassical figures. Box measures 3 1/4 inches ...
Category

1890s German Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

England 1810 Georgian Battersea Enamel Neoclassical Decorated Box
Located in Miami, FL
Early 19th century Georgian Battersea enamel box. A beautiful antique English Battersea Bilston table snuff box, created in the district of Ba...
Category

1810s English George IV Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

Antique Majolica Tobacco Jar Munich Child in Hofbrauhaus Keg, Germany 1890s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for an antique figural tobacco jar featuring the Munich Child on a keg from Munich's famous Hofbrauhaus. The jar reads "Tabak" (german fo...
Category

Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Majolica

Late 19th - Early 20th Century Russian Lacquered Paper Mache Snuff Box
Located in San Francisco, CA
Late 19th - Early 20th Century Russian Lacquered Paper Mache Snuff Box By The Lukutun Factory 5.25" x 3.5" x 1.5"
Category

19th Century Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood, Paper

A Very Fine Early 20th Century Enamelled Sterling Silver Cigarette Case
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
The front of the case exhibiting an exquisite hand painted panel depicting sprays of irises in shades of lavender, royal blue & green, set against a radiant white enamelled machined ...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Machine Age Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Ashtray cigarette holder Dice by Legros Marius for Dunhill Paris 1930s
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Dunhill opened the Paris location in 1924 to meet the growing demand for luxury goods pertaining to motoring and tobacco. Both the box and cover are marked with the Goddess Minerva in an octagon, the French punch mark for 950 Fine Silver, a grade of silver finer then sterling silver. Alfred Dunhill Art Deco Dice cigarette holder box, circa 1925-30. The box is identified Alfred Dunhill Paris underneath the lip of the cover and inside the box! This beautiful and autenthic Dunhill cigarette holder...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

19th Century Restauration Snuff Box with Micromosaic
Located in Paris, FR
Small rectangular Restauration snuff box crafted in gold. The hinged lid is decorated with an oval micromosaic representing St. Peter's Square in Rome. Micromosaic is set in a gold s...
Category

Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold

Pill Box Sterling Silver Art Nouveau with floral miniature Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Gold-Plated Sterling Silver and Enamel Pill Box with Floral Miniature by Romano Buccioni for Salimbeni, Florence, 1980 Charming shaped pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver, gold pla...
Category

1980s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Vintage French Baccarat Style Crystal Cigarette Box In The Shape Of A Bell
Located in Tampa, FL
This is a fascinating Baccarat style crystal cigarette box is in the shape of a bell. It is brass with a silver finish and some neoclassical desi...
Category

1940s French Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Crystal, Brass

19th Century French Porcelain and Brass Trinket Box with Flower Decorations
Located in Marbella, ES
19th century French porcelain and brass trinket box with flower decorations.
Category

Mid-18th Century French Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

William Mary Snuff Box Made in London, circa 1690
Located in London, GB
A Very Rare William & Mary Snuff Box Made in London circa 1690. Maker's Mark of Ah With a Crown Above and a Cinquefoil Below. The Snuff Box is of escutcheon form with plain sides an...
Category

17th Century English William and Mary Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

A Rare and Historically Interesting George IV Period Snuff Box Made from Oak
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
This fine box is one of a small number of souvenir pieces of this kind made from timbers salvaged during the refurbishment of Windsor Castle in the 1820s. What makes this piece parti...
Category

19th Century English George IV Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Oak

Chinese Export Silver Cigar Box by Hung Chong Co.
Located in Savannah, GA
Sterling silver cigar box marked Hung Chong (or Cheong) & Co., silversmiths & retailers, Canton, China, circa 1860-1930. Classic intertwined ...
Category

1920s Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Petite Indonesian Brass Betel Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite brass box was originally part of an early 20th century betel box set from Indonesia, one of several small containers that held the individual ingredients of a betel quid....
Category

Early 20th Century Indonesian Folk Art Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

German Concealed Erotic Snuff Box in the Manner of Stobwasser, C.1820
Located in Bath, GB
An early nineteenth century papier mache snuff box, japanned and bronzed. A romantic scene to the lid of the box and a "secret" sliding panel to the underside revealing a hand-painte...
Category

1820s Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Paper

19thC German 18K Gold Enamel Snuff Box, Raphael s Sistine Madonna, Hanau c1810
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique early 19th Century German 18ct gold and enamel snuff box, of rectangular form with rounded corners, featuring a hinged cover framed by chased foliate borders on a deep blue g...
Category

19th Century German Other Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold, Enamel

Agate and Micromosaic Box
Located in New Orleans, LA
Intricate and flawless, the highly detailed micromosaic medallion on the lid of this agate box is an incredible example of this diminutive art form. The elaborate micromosaic depicts...
Category

19th Century European Other Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Agate

1800s Swedish Cast Iron Tobacco Jar
Located in Brooklyn, NY
1800s, Sweden. This three-section cast iron tobacco jar originates from Hälleforsbruk, a prestigious Swedish foundry in Södermanland county. The piece displays distinctive markings i...
Category

Early 1800s Swedish Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Iron

Chinese Cinnabar Lacquer Cuspidor
Located in New Orleans, LA
This intriguing Chinese zhadou is intricately carved of fine cinnabar lacquer. A work of exceptional artistry, this covered bowl is adorned with an intricately carved floral motif on all surfaces, including the cover and the wide rim. Also known as a cuspidor or spittoon, this rare container would have been used by members of the imperial family and scholar- officials at the court. Carved during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), this charming piece exhibits the high detail and charm associated with items from that period, making it a true treasure, Early 18th century (Kangxi dynasty) Measures: 6 ¼” wide x 3 ¼” high Cinnabar has been revered for its color all over the world. It has been found in the royal burial chambers of the Mayas, in the rituals of India, and in the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome. In China, cinnabar and gold were the two most important elements in alchemy. Mined since the Neolithic Age, cinnabar is the ore of mercury, and as such, it can be incredibly toxic, especially when mining. In fact, during the Roman Empire, miners at Spain’s Almadén mine in Spain were frequently exposed to mercury fumes, and the subsequent, often fatal, sickness was considered an occupational hazard. The most popular known use of cinnabar is in Chinese carved lacquer-ware, a technique that is believed to have originated in the Song Dynasty, in which cinnabar is ground to a powder and added to clear lacquer. As with mining, there was inherent danger of mercury poisoning for those who carved the lacquer, as mercury was also released into the air when artisans ground the pigments. Most antique cinnabar...
Category

18th Century Chinese Other Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

Cute Black Forest Carved Wood Bear Match Box Holder with Ashtray Brienz
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
Ths antique German or Swiss bear figurine is a really lovely item and a remarkable piece of craftsmanship regarding its fine carving, dating back...
Category

1880s German Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood

Silver-Gilt Musical Snuff Box by François Nicole
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptional Swiss silver-gilt musical snuff box was crafted by the famed François Nicole. At first glance, the diminutive piece appears to simpl...
Category

19th Century Swiss Neoclassical Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Silver and niello tobacco box, Moscow, Russia 1879.
Located in Milan, IT
Silver and niello snuffbox. The tobacco box, made of 84 zolotnik silver (875/1000) is rectangular in shape with a soap bar body, with rounded corners and rounded profiles. The entire...
Category

Late 19th Century Russian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Antique French or German Porcelain Snuff Box with Hand-Painted Military Scenes
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique French or German porcelain snuff box. Dating to the 18th (or possibly early 19th) century. Decorated throughout with...
Category

18th Century German George III Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

French Sapphire and Enamel Cigarette Case
Located in New Orleans, LA
This French gold cigarette case is a splendid specimen of early 20th century style and refinement. The 18-karat yellow gold accessory is surrounded by exquisite "pinstripe" white enameling with a line of channel-set blue sapphires running along the façade and thumb press. Smoking accessories...
Category

Early 20th Century French Other Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Multi-gemstone, Gold, Enamel

Painted Porcelain Tobacco Box Signed Edouard Marcel Sandoz for Theodore Haviland
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Painted porcelain tobacco box signed Edouard-Marcel Sandoz for Theodore Haviland Limoges. Art Deco period, France, circa 1920.
Category

1920s French Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Snuffboxes for Sale on 1stDibs

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.

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