ANTIQUE SILVER BOXES
Antique Silver boxes Description:
A box shaped receptacle with either a hinged or lift-off lid, for holding various smaller items on tables.
Antique Silver boxes History:
Sterling silver boxes have been made for hundreds of years and varied in design and use for holding smaller items such as jewelery, biscuits, cigarettes, cigars, sugar, and loose tea leaves. They were made in the Georgian, Victorian and 20th Century periods, and are still being made today. Larger table boxes from the Georgian period (excluding snuff boxes and tea caddy boxes) are quite rare and indeed Victorian examples are getting more difficult to find.
Antique Silver boxes Design:
All table boxes were made with the same basic design, varying in dimensions, and with either a pull-off or hinged lid. But they often differ in style, based on decoration, from very plain cigar boxes, through to hand-chased or engraved jewelery boxes. Sometimes the box may be cylindrical but the vast majority were rectangular or square.
Antique Silver boxes Collectors Note:
Antique silver boxes are items of silver that were used for storing smaller items required on the table. Many boxes with hinged lids have been repaired as the repetitive opening and closing weakens the mechanism. Collectors should also look closely to check for any splits at corners and junctions. Many boxes were engraved with presentation inscriptions and are often thin if the inscription was removed. There should be a hallmark on any removable piece such as the lid and this should be original to the main body. Antique silver table boxes (excluding snuff boxes, tea caddy boxes, and cigar or cigarette boxes) are now quite rare and command high prices.