Snuffboxes

Snuffboxes

Snuffboxes held snuff. Taking snuff was popular long before cigarettes became available. The gentleman or lady would take a small pinch of the ground tobacco or snuff in the fingers, then sniff it and sneeze. Snuffboxes were made of many materials, including gold, silver, enameled metal, and wood. Most snuffboxes date from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. Snuffboxes have strong hinges so that they could keep out air that would dry out the snuff. Snuff bottles are listed in the Bottle category. For more information, explore our identification guides for metal and jewelry

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