Gold Enamel Snuff Box

At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal gold enamel snuff box for your home. A gold enamel snuff box — often made from metal, enamel and gold — can elevate any home. There are 144 variations of the antique or vintage gold enamel snuff box you’re looking for, while we also have 8 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without a gold enamel snuff box — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. A gold enamel snuff box, designed in the Louis XVI, Baroque or Art Deco style, is generally a popular piece of furniture. You’ll likely find more than one gold enamel snuff box that is appealing in its simplicity, but Franco Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni and Carl Martin Weishaupt & Sohne produced versions that are worth a look.

The average selling price for a gold enamel snuff box at 1stDibs is $8,908, while they’re typically $225 on the low end and $137,935 for the highest priced.

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.