Been fully occupied over the weekend, which is why I have been a bit lazy on the Blogging front. My apologies. However, here is a
MYSTERY OBJECT
which arrived by post this morning, my having purchased it on eBay. What is it? where was it made, for what purpose (this is an easy one) but it does have a specific purpose, or rather a speciality which you should spot if you look well at the picture.
Good guessing (if you are reduced to guessing and don't know). I think Roger may well have seen one of these before and will know what it is.
9 comments:
It looks like either a lunch container or part of a "silent butler" set.
I'm setting up house as the ignoramus pro tem and saying that it's a door stop. I think that the curvature which you seem to be alluding to probably precludes this preposterous theory ( why would a door stop need to be curved?) but I'm sticking to it anyway. I was going to say it might be an small ingot of gold, but I doubt if you can buy them on e-bay. Anyway I'm first in so that's something.
Rumours of my competence are once again misplaced!
It's smoking or shaving. It looks like a little razor box with a separate compartment for blades.
Possibly German?
Dear me! I shall have to pin all my hopes of a reasonably correct answer to Crowbard. I have included a ruler in the photo to give some idea of scale. The item is three inches long(sorry - can't think in metric) an inch and a half wide, and three quarters of an inch deep - and made of brass. Hope this helps.
Ah, think that I may hve seen this before. Is it a snuff box with a smaller compartment in the lid for higher grade snuff?
Oh well, I shall join Rog and Paul in the 'naughty corner' and throw in a wild guess. It is a late Georgian small brass box. There appears to be a hinged lid which includes a smaller hinged lid, which includes a tiny third hinged lid. Each lid suggests a container beneath, so I guess it is a snuff-box for three different varieties of snuff, the most expensive under the smallest central lid, the cheapest under the primary lid. When forced by circumstance or convention to offer snuff publicly the owner would open the main lid and hand round the cheapest snuff to all and sundry, their wives and servants; among close friends or family, snuff would be proffered from the second chamber and when musing lonely as a cloud one could indulge oneself from the central section without fear of losing most to ambient scroungers.
Paul spotted the curvature of the box, and I'd always advise that when an antique small box is that shape it will be either a snuff box or a tobacco box. The curve is to allow the box to be carried in a pocket, with the curve to follow the curve of the body, without disturbing the cut of the clobber.
Sir Bruin has got the main idea of the box, whilst Crowbard's reply is 'spot on'. If you turn to the blog entry for Wednesday, 29th October, you'll find a photo of the box fully open, and my own ideas of where, when, and why.
P.s. Please pay no attention to Crowbard's claim that his reply was a wild guess. I know the gentleman well enough to know that It was a well researched piece of knowledge.
P.P.s. So there!!! And none the worse for that.
The learning curve is exceedingly steep but I will persevere !!!!
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