Comments on: Antique snuff boxes, collection not to be sniffed at

By: Kevin Kerrigan

Kevin Kerrigan — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:13:04 +0000

I recently came into possession of a small rectangular treen (I think) snuff box. It has a hinged lid and a goldy brown /tan picture of a reclining dog outside his kennel on the lid. The base is black. Any thoughts on age or valuation?

By: Lord Denovan

Lord Denovan — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:46:01 +0000

I enjoy collecting snuff boxes but I am somewhat surprised that there is not a Snuff Box Collectors Society, although in a related way The Chinese Snuff Bottle Collectors Society seems to be the only organisation running.

I know there are many collectors in UK, let alone the rest of the World, so perhaps it is time to start a Society/Group!

By: Christopher Proudlove

Christopher Proudlove — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:36:17 +0000

Jeff, I have responded in a personal email to you. For others interested, the first-rate ship HMS Royal George was laid down as the Royal Anne but renamed in honor of the reigning monarch George II before her launch in 1756. The first warship to exceed 2,000 tons burden, Royal George was commissioned at the start of the Seven Years’ War with France and joined the Western Squadron in blockading the port of Brest and Quiberon Bay. On 29 August 1782 whilst undergoing minor repair work at Spithead, the Royal George began to take on water. She capsized and sank very quickly with the loss of about 900 lives. The dead included Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt and as many as 300 women and 60 children who were visiting the ship at the time. The exact cause of the disaster is not known although it has been suggested that she was heeled too far and the water entered the lower tier of gun ports. However, a subsequent court martial acquitted the ship’s officers and crew (most of whom were dead) of any wrongdoing, and blamed the accident on the ‘general state of decay of her timbers’. In 1834, the pioneering diver Charles Deane recovered thirty guns before his work was interrupted. The remains of Royal George were eventually blown up by Royal Engineers in the early 1840s.

By: Jeff Wood

Jeff Wood — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:16:14 +0000

Hello,

I recently aquired a round, turned wood snuff box. There is a note attached to the lid dating 1840 and states the wood used to make this is part of the HMS Royal George wreckage. My limited online research has revealed almost identical boxes that have sold at a 2007 Bonham auction and another at a Cowan auction. I would like offer this at auction as well, but don’t quite know where to start. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

By: Christopher Proudlove

Christopher Proudlove — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:23:27 +0000

I spoke to Lionel Willis, maritime specialist at Bonhams in London.
He said: “It is known that the inhabitants of Pitcairn had a thriving ‘cottage industry’ of artefacts made from the remains of the wreck, which they sold to the rare passing ship, although as it burnt to the waterline before it sank any timber must to have been raised from the sea bed. We’ve not seen a snuff box, but it’s a likely enough item to be made as a potential souvenir.”

I hope this helps.

By: Christopher Proudlove

Christopher Proudlove — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:04:19 +0000

Thank you for contacting WriteAntiques. A great many objects are found purporting to be made from the timbers of some famous ship or other – indeed entire houses were built using wood from broken up vessels. There is rarely any supporting provenance or evidence, other than perhaps a plaque or inscription, but these could have been added later.
However, it is unlikely your grandfather would have made up the story, although valuing such a piece could only rely on “family repute”. I will do some further research.

By: Rodney Bennett

Rodney Bennett — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:51:53 +0000

Have you ever encountered or heard of a Snuff Box claiming to have been made from the timbers of HMS Bounty of 1779 mutiny fame?

In a memoir my great-great-grandfather says that when he visited Pitcairn Island in 1825 he took some of the timber from the wreck of the ship which was later used for snuff boxes. I wonder if any survive.

By: Christopher Proudlove

Christopher Proudlove — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:37 +0000

Rita
I’ve looked back through UK auction records and found a larger but very similar box sold in 2005 for £140. I think yours would be offered at auction today with an estimate of £100-150,

By: Rita Macdonald

Rita Macdonald — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:04:59 +0000

Dear sir, I have a nice little snuff box in the shape of a dutch shoe (at least I think that is what it is – it has a letter tucked inside saying it is a snuff box). It has 930 or 980 sterling ingraved on back. Its reposse scene is of hunting dogs in a forest on the one side, the other side depicts a squirrel and pheasant in the forest. Its hinged lid shuts tight. There is a dent on the bottom, but doesn’t look as though it has gone through.

I would like to send you some pictures of it.

Sincerely,

Rita Macdonald

By: David English

David English — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:14:58 +0000

Dear sir, I have two silver pieces a snuff box??? from liberty and company and another rather odd collapsable silver cup dated 1897 by KNOX, would love to upload you pictures of these two items so that I can find out more about them? please email me at MYPICS247@yahoo.com a link so that I can upload jpegs…Thank You, David English 714-561-9200