Antique Hallmarked Sterling Silver Snuffbox or Snuff Box Edward Smith Silversmith Birmingham England
Description: Antique (circa 1829) sterling silver rectangular snuff box or snuffbox. The box which has a hinged lid, shows machine turning on the top and bottom and has reeded sides. The box has gilt on the inside. This late Georgian snuff or trinket box has a beautiful extending floral decorated thumb or front piece on the lid. It also has a blank cartouche in the center of the lid, which can be engraved with the name or initials of the proud new owner. The piece is fully hallmarked with the anchor for Birmingham, the king's head indicating taxes were paid, lion passant for sterling (920) silver, the capital letter F in decorative script for the year 1829, and the maker's mark E.S. for Edward Smith. A beautiful sterling silver box in fantastic condition after being around for almost 200 years. A must have for the advanced collector of small boxes. Pleases carefully review the photos presented as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: 1829.
Origin: Purchased directly from a collector. The piece was made in Birmingham England.
Size: The box measures ~2 3/8" by ~1 3/8" by ~1/8" and weighs ~52 grams or almost 1.7 troy ounces.
Maker: Edward Smith.
Marks: Marked with the anchor for Birmingham, the king's head indicating taxes were paid, lion passant for sterling (920) silver, the capital letter F in decorative script for the year 1829, and the maker's mark E.S. for Edward Smith (see last three images).
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: A beautiful and most interesting antique small box in superb condition. It would make a great addition to your silver box collection or tobacco/smoking related collection.
Condition: The box is in excellent condition with no major problems. The hinged lid works great and the lid closes tightly as it should. The box has no dings, no objectionable scratches, no breaks, and no repairs. The box a has a few minor scratches to the surface but these are truly minor. The interior of the box has a few stains, which can be seen in the photos and which we did not attempt to clean. Additionally, there are some graffiti on the inside of the lid in the form of words which have been scratched into the gilt and we could not decipher, but we attempt to show in the last two photos. Be that as it may, these issues do not distract from the beauty of the piece. The box could probably use a good cleaning to but we leave that to the new proud owner. Just a beautiful antique box in excellent condition worthy of a spot in any collection. Please see photos for additional condition information.
