$700Sale Price|30% Off
Double tobacco box in rosewood with tremolos and silver applications
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Double tobacco box in rosewood with tremolos and silver applications. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Weight: 574.41 grams. Dimensions: 24x11.5cm. Content: 833/1000. ...
Silver
$700Sale Price|30% Off
Silver snuff box with borders on the edge and a scalloped hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with grooves on the surround and cut-out hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: Eagle Head. Weight: 122.81 grams. Dimensions: 8.1x5cm. Co...
Silver
$525Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in guilloche silver with monogram card and gold interior
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in guilloche silver with a monogram card and gold interior. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Tête Minerve. Weight: 66.44 grams. Dimensions: 8.4x3.3cm. Con...
Silver
$1,225Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in guilloche silver with engraved garlands surrounding a monogram card
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in guilloche silver with engraved garlands surrounding a monogram card. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: Porto Coroa. Weight: 96.55 grams. Dimensions:...
Silver
$420Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in guilloche silver w/ reliefs on the lid, surrounding a monogram card
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in guilloche silver with reliefs on the lid surrounding a monogram card. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Cabeça de Mercury. Weight: 48.71 grams. Dimensio...
Silver
$700Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in guilloche silver with monogram plaque and engraved floral motifs
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in guilloche silver with monogram card and engraved floral motifs. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Tête Minerve. Weight: 82.05 grams. Dimensions: 8.5cmx5...
Silver
$525Sale Price|30% Off
Silver snuff box with mother-of-pearl cutouts and guilloche surround
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with mother-of-pearl cut-out on the hinged lid, guilloche pattern on the surround and gilded interior. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Boar's Head...
Silver
$350Sale Price|30% Off
Rectangular silver snuff box w/ shells & scrolls in relief on the removable lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Rectangular silver snuff box with shells and scrolls in relief on the removable lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Spanish. Brand: Malde-S. Tiago de Compostela. Weight: 58.97 g...
Silver
$700Sale Price|30% Off
Tobacco box with trembling rosewood trim and silver applications
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Tobacco box with trembling rosewood friezes and silver applications. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: javali II Title. Weight: 444.86 grams. Dimensions: 11.5x6....
Silver
$420Sale Price|30% Off
Silver snuff box with floral engravings and enamel hummingbird lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with engraved floral motifs and enamel with hummingbird on the hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Mark: Absent. Weight: 91.26 grams. Dimension...
Silver
$1,225Sale Price|30% Off
Rectangular nickel silver snuff box with illustrated African landscape
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Rectangular nickled silver snuff box with illustrated African landscape, asymmetrical designs and gold interior. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Tête Minerve. Weig...
Silver
$769Sale Price|65% Off
Silver tobacco box with Belém Tower engraving and wooden interior
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver tobacco box with engraving of the Belém Tower on the hinged lid and wooden interior. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Mark: standing eagle. Weight: 322.3 grams....
Silver
$315Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in guilloche silver with frieze surrounding monogram card
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in guilloche silver with a frieze surrounding a monogram card. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Tête Minerve. Weight: 24.17 grams. Dimensions: 5x2.5cm. Co...
Silver
$350Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in embossed silver and beaded on the casing
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in embossed silver with crimped edges. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Mark: Unreadable. Weight: 44.53 grams. Dimensions: 6.1x1.2cm. Content: 800/1000. Assay ...
Silver
$1,225Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in embossed silver with a curved shape and hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in embossed silver with a curved shape and hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: Porto Coroa. Weight: 80.64 grams. Dimensions: 8cmx5cm. Content...
Silver
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Snuff box in nickel silver with geometric motifs, gold interior and hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in nickel-plated silver with geometric motifs, gold interior and hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Boar's Head. Weight: 93.18 grams. Dimensions...
Silver
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.