Let’s talk snuff!

SnuffTalk

The majority of commercial snuffs come in a handy tin or dispenser package, and most beginning snuffers will find those acceptable to carry about for daily use. Over time, however, the drawbacks of these containers will become apparent— the metal tins tend to oxidize quickly, and neither the metal nor the plastic pocket-sized containers keep moist snuff moist for long. Some commercial tins, too, are not at all pocket-friendly, such as the Fribourg and Treyer tubes. And so the search for a snuffbox begins.

The most obvious required attributes of a useful box are that it be of a comfortable size and shape for carrying, and that it stores tobacco well. This box, although Spartan, answers the basics needs nicely:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Pocket Snuffboxes

1 1/2” (3.9cm) diameter by 3/4”(1.8cm) high. Made of plastic.

This is a silver box, Birmingham, 1901. See how the hinge is up out of the way of the actual receptacle? An excellent hinge design.

A gold-lined silver box, Birmingham, 1899. This is a not-so-good hinge, and you can see where a previous owner tried to make adjustments to the lip with a screwdriver or some such. It’s usable, but not ideal— the hinge is frequently fouled by snuff.

This is a traditional wooden box, rosewood, metal-ended, 19th century. The hinge consists of a long metal rod which is attached to the lid and pivots at the ends. It’s completely trouble-free.

Top view of the same box. Pity about the missing vane on the windmill, isn’t it?

Gold-lined silver box, Birmingham, 1970. Now this is a very poor design. The sides of the box’s interior are actually higher than the hinge, forcing the snuff onto the little ledge in front of the hinge and into the hinge itself. The ledge has to be cleaned off every time the box is opened or the box will not close properly.

White-metal box, age unknown. Note how the hinge is on the outside of the box. This is a nice design; I hope to find a silver one like this someday.

White-metal box, age unknown. Although this hinge does come in contact with the snuff, the fact that the moving part is of one piece renders this hinge quite satisfactory.

The advantages of this box are that it is nearly indestructible, stores a sufficient quantity for a day’s use (about five grams), keeps snuff fresh almost indefinitely, and is very inexpensive. I’ve seen these available at camping outfitters (they’re lightweight and handy for keeping spices in), and Mars Cigars is a good source too.

Some of us, for reasons of aesthetic sensibility or historical tradition, require a fancier grade of box of wood or metal. This can be a dangerous path to go down, as it’s easy to find oneself lusting after high-priced rarities. Sadly, there is a subset of those suffering from collect-o-mania who specialize in snuffboxes, and they drive the prices up for those of us who actually want to use a snuffbox, rather than put it in a display case to ooh and ahh over. This is less of a problem with new boxes, but will be quickly apparent when visiting antique shops and online auctions.

New boxes are available at many retail snuff-shops. Due to a personal foible (or shortcoming, perhaps), I prefer to buy older boxes, and have obtained several through Ebay. I’ll share a few lessons I’ve learned in the hope of sparing you the mistakes I’ve made.

Check the size of the box

Through inattentiveness, I managed to buy an otherwise lovely silver box that simply isn’t big enough. (It also has an inappropriate hinge, but more on that subject later.) I similarly bought a wooden one that was too large. It’s best to get out a ruler and make sure of the dimensions of the box. Anything less than .75 cubic inches (12cc) is likely to be too small, and anything over 3 cubic inches (54cc) may be too large.

Consider the hinge

The best hinges are those which will not come into contact with the snuff, unless you enjoy cleaning the powder out of the hinge every time you open the box. Some illustrations:

If you can’t see the hinge in any of the seller’s photographs, it would be wise to ask about it. I have a box with a completely worn-out hinge that wasn’t apparent from the seller’s photos, and I neglected to ask about its condition. Shame on me!

Verify the hallmark

When thinking about buying a silver box, it’s a good idea to compare the hallmark to those displayed in publications such as this one. If you’re paying the premium for age of the box— and you will— it’s good to know that the box really is as old as the seller says it is. I’ve been lucky with this so far; the only seller’s errors I’ve found have been in my favor, but I can easily imagine that it could go the other way round.

What material is best?

Boxes are made of a wide variety of materials. Some observations regarding their pros and cons:

Copper is a soft metal and a hinge of copper is sure to stretch or wear prematurely.

Pewter, too, is a bit soft and suffers the same shortcomings as copper.

Brass is durable and stronger than copper or pewter, though the interior of the box will require frequent cleaning due to the propensity of brass to oxidize. 

Silver, in alloys of .800 up to .925, is a nearly perfect material for snuff boxes. It’s strong enough to wear well, and tarnish is easily dealt with— though I prefer to just let tarnish alone, as I find the contrasts attractive. (The tarnish, by the way, is due to sulfur oxides in the air and not to moisture or oxygen itself.)

Gold, in harder alloys like 14k and below, would probably make for a good box. I’ll never know for certain unless I find a gold box by the side of the road someday; an event of low probability to be sure.

Woods such as walnut, cherry, and oak are quite attractive but tend to absorb the moisture out of the snuff. Rosewood seems to be a less thirsty wood, in my experience. I suspect that sandalwood would be similar to rosewood, but would be concerned about imparting the sandalwood essence to the snuff.

Papier-mache boxes are fairly common and can be quite old. They wear poorly and are a bit fragile. One should not sit on one, as I have discovered.

Price

Expect to spend anywhere from 10$ to 70$ US for a wooden box, depending on age and ornament.  Silver gets more expensive with age and can run from 25$ to 500$ US or even more. 20th century silver boxes seem to average around 70$ to 120$ US. Brass is about the same, price-wise, as wood, though some specialty shapes and styles can go for quite a bit more. Plain white-metal boxes, even when silver-plated, are usually quite reasonable at 15$ to 40$ US on average.

 

 

 

Happy hunting!