I’m collecting thoughts on snuffboxes, as always. Now, we all know that silver, brass, and wood are pretty standard materials, but what about horn? I seem to read a great deal suggesting that horn boxes were fairly common. I’ve seen a few cranked out in India, and the quality is simply atrocious (can’t believe I p*ssed away money to have samples of junk shipped half-way around the world), but I know of a few horn workshops (not in India) that do pretty solid work. It’s the hinges that worry me the most, so I suppose they’d have to be table-top items, unless there was some as-yet undiscovered demand for tall, cylindrical horn snuff bottles, where hinges aren’t an issue, and one can thread the exterior of the container, the interior of the lid, and apply a cork seal. What about those socttish pocket-mulls? Those could be made without too much trouble, and could be made to work quite well without too much trouble. I’ve seen the retail on them, and it’s shocking. Is there a possible demand for such things, or are they strictly collectibles? Oh, and I’m working on getting the silversmith who provided the samples to work on putting decent hinges on the boxes, and changing them to roughly rectangular or oval profiles.

I would like one of these, but it’s just too expensive. Horn

Now, ram’s horn ain’t cheap, but it doesn’t possibly cost even half of the retail price there to get one delivered to a wholesale buyer (standard mark-up). I suspect, though, that if they are using ram’s horn, they might very well also be using local (British) labor, and that would account for some of the difference. I daresay that these things are probably bench-made, which would account for the pricing as noted. With that said, though, to make one of buffalo horn would not cost much, and a pewter cap wouldn’t be terribly expensive. But that’s a table-top one, anyway. Any market for the pocket ones, do you think?

I have a couple of horn boxes that are operating perfectly fine. Scottish and German

I’ve been looking to find just such a sort of pocket mull. I think I might have a lead or two on some horn-workers who might be able to put such a thing together at a reasonable price. A horn lid, cork-lined, would certainly be simpler to produce than pewter, and would certainly be correct. @snuffgrinder Made by a survivor of the Battle of Culloden, yet.

Horn was the plastic of the middle ages. A good plastic box would be affordable and very good. I got a plastic box at Smith’s some years ago and it is superb.

@snuffster True enough, the material did fill the niche we now fill with plastics and such, but there’s something appealing, at least to me, about the idea of a traditional material being made into a traditional receptacle for a traditional tobacco. Tastes vary, of course, but I’m a hidebound reactionary in a lot of ways, and particularly so when it comes to my vices.

Yep, me too. But Just think about the tactile pleasure that plastic can give. Trust me, a good plastic box is a box indeed. My Smith’s box is a treasure and I’m amazed that you don’t see any others.

someone had a bakelite snuffbox before the crash. Bakelite was a precursor to modern plastic.

BTW amber and bone were also used as “plastics” in the past

Ive had horn boxes and its a nice material but there are plastics that are every bit as good if not better, old and modern. I have a bakelite box that is beautiful and a modern plastic box that is also superb and extremely pleasant to handle and in terms of wearing, well it doesn’t, at all. I would see plastic as a modern version of papier mache - cheap, cheerful and utilitarian. I would love to see a few more boxes on the market that one could loose without great distress. Ironically, my plastic box from Smith’s is kept safe in my collection as I’ve never seen one like it before or since - I actually use a Silver Georgian in preferance because you can get them easily! Its also possible to manufacture plastic to tolerances that eliminate any leaks - and anyone with a snuff box collection worthy of the name knows that most of them leak to an extent.

I’ve seen paper mache snuff boxes for sale places like e-bay but have always been leery of their durability. Can any one say how they hold up with normal use?

I have an early to mid-Victorian one and it still seals remarkably well (well enough to keep HDT in it) and it also keeps snuff fresher than a wooden box I think.

Ben Cartwright had a nice one on his desk in the show Bonanza.

Amber has nothing to do with “plastic” at all - not historically, and not culturally. In the 9th-10th century the Arabs and Greeks paid fortunes for Nordic amber, which for this reason was known as the “Nordic Gold”. My ancestors made fortunes from this trade. It is still extremely expensive (especially Danish amber, the Polish and Baltic amber is slightly less expensive), and is used for high quality jewelry, and was also used for snuff boxes indeed. But again, amber was *never* used as a “substitute” for other materials, or as an easy way of mass producing items, like horn for example was.

@ snuffgrinder Yes! That looks to be an excellent example of a simple, compact pocket snuff mull. Things like that, traditional, functional, and, to my eyes, at least, beautiful - that’s the sort of thing to use for storing and using a traditional, functional, and, to my nose, at least, beautiful luxury. We need to refine our vices, all of us, and a good snuff box is a good first step in that direction. Not that there’s anything wrong with bullets, etc., and I’m not even convinced that a plastic box couldn’t satisfy these criteria (I’ve seen a few of the older bakelite ones, and they are elegant), it’s just that. as yet, the available options seem few and far between. A return to the traditional containers would be, to my mind, a development to be applauded and encouraged, even as we work to make the better technologies (e.g., the snuff bullet) sufficiently refined as to distinguish them from their low-market and illegal associations. To dream the impossible dream…

@ Viking: I never meant to imply that amber was a substitute for anything. Nor did I mean to imply that it was cheap or common. Mereley that it can be, and has been, made into objects such as bone and horn can be. Its texture is somewhat like plastic, and I’ve seen many intersting things carved from it. Plastic has replaced some of these things in modern times.

Im not sure what my plastic box is made of but its hard and scratch resistant. Don’t get me wrong, I love the traditional materials, I just wish there were more work a day boxes apart from slide top wooden ones and bullets. I’ve got tin, plastic and papier mache boxes in my collection that are all charming and when new would have been great ordinary boxes, but you just don’t seem to see much like them anymore.

I would love some work a day snuff boxes that won’t make me cry when lost.

@ Juxtaposer: That’s the ideal, I think. A simple, practical container, elegant in its way, true enough, but not something to which one would become overly attached. A plain brass Zippo, as it were, to invoke a cig smoker’s closest parallel.

You might like to try tins made by Robert Opie… http://www.robertopietrading.co.uk/products.asp?cat=272 The cost about £2.50 each - there are loads and loads of different designs - and they measure about 60mmx40mmx15mm - about a days worth of snuff. They are not completely airtight - but at least as good as most snuff boxes I have used. They are generally available in the UK in giflt shops and museums and the like - Robert Opie is a collector of nostalgia - and these tins feature old advertising/packaging - so are entertaining in their own right. I have now thoroughly road tested one - and found it very practical. Readily available (in UK - even on ebay). It would be good if Roderick at Toque (even had his own made! - can’t cost much - I’d certainly pay a few quid extra for some nice snuff designs on them…) or if Tim at Snuffstore bought a few so it would be available to everyone. Cheap enough you don’t mind loosing, good enough to keep snuff fresh for a day or so - nice to hold, pretty airtight - very practical When I next find them I will be buying half a dozen… Jonathan

jonathan - i was tempted to buy one of those but I wasn’t sure how well it’d hold out. It seems I should have taken the risk, damn it.

That’s pretty cool, Filek. Is it yours now?

@Filek, you will soon have another horn snuff box to add to your collection!

So will slobandtom, if I recall who won the quiz.

Nice Filek! Looks like you could just put it up to your nostril and pour it in, lol.

Wow. That’s beautiful. You must fill it with ugwayi immediatley! I remember the Icelandic story from the quiz. I’m sure there are walrus tusk snuff boxes on ebay.

Nobody is using my teeth for a snuffbox lolol. Stefan

Well, make that two. But that’s not too much to ask for, now is it?

Knowing my teeth it would drop to bits as soon as any snuff was put near it lol. Stefan

I’ve just now received a horn snuff box which must be unique, I believe. It’s a springbok horn which I’ve brought along from the Karoo. A silver smith fitted a silver, engraved cap and “toe” after shortening the horn a bit.The cap is attached to the “toe” with a silver chain. What makes it unique is that he inserted a hollow walrus tooth in the horn. The tooth is fitted with a cap, also made out of walrus tooth, with a little rubber o-ring so that it fits snuggly. To take a pinch from the “box”, the tooth is removed from the horn. On the tooth, the guy engraved a little sailing boat in black. It is so beautiful and I promise I will post some photo’s here. It cost me R700.00 which is equal to $87.50 or €72.50 or 60 British pounds.

Stefan, did you check this one?

Just popped up on the Yahoo group: SnuffBox The Nasal Snuff Club picApparantly snuff, Neftóbak, is sold in Iceland. Its even sold in plastic powder horn style dispensers! Reasearching for more info ATM.

Xander, Filek and I were looking at that a couple months ago. Any internet tobacco sales are illegal in Iceland, and it’s not sold outside of Iceland so far as I know. If anyone can get their hands of some Neftóbak I’m interested in purchasing it, but I find the prospects dubious unless we have some Icelandic members join.

We had an Icelandic member and a US residing Icelandic expatriot not long back. Niether of them mentioned it, perhaps they will come back soon. They may not sell to us individually, but they may sell to Mr. Snuff or some such place. Dave? Also, if I ever go to Iceland, I promise to bring back enough to share! The only thing I’ve found out so far is that this is a relatively new product put on the Icelandic market since snus was recently banned there. It seems many users are using it orally anyway. Its sold in snus size containers as well as powder horns.

I wonder if this is the grandfather of the sneezebox. (Not trying to blame this awesome looking snuff box.