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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shangas, post: 253994, member: 360&quot;][ATTACH=full]78595[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]78596[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]78597[/ATTACH]</p><p>This is quite possibly, the plainest antique I&#039;ve ever bought in my life. It is a vesta-case from 1886, made by the famed company of Sampson Mordan &amp; Co. It has plain sides, a plain top and a ridged striker-surface on the underside. It has marks for Sampson Mordan, London, Sterling, etc, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reason I purchased this is so that I could have a neat little pillbox to hold my peppermints <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I selected this out of about half a dozen or more, for a few reasons...</p><p><br /></p><p>1). It was unengraved and unembellished. Not easy to find with vesta-cases.</p><p>2). The sprung-hinged lid was still in great condition. Some can be wonky.</p><p>3). It&#039;s old, from a famous maker, and apart from a couple of minor dinkles, undamaged.</p><p>4). It holds just a small number of mints (half a dozen with a bit of wiggle-room), which is all I really need on a daily basis when I go out.</p><p>5). The perfectly flat bottom means that I can stand it up straight! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]78598[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Carrying peppermints with me when I go out is a longstanding habit of mine, but some people find it irritating when they rattle around inside those metal tins they sell them in. Because of that I&#039;ve always been on the hunt for a replacement of a suitable size, in silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>Snuffboxes proved to be too expensive, and the lids often popped open unexpectedly. This made them unsuitable for use. Because of that, I decided to look into vesta-cases. I knew they had sprung lids and so would close securely and not pop open in my pocket or in my bag. The trick was finding one that didn&#039;t cost the earth and moon which was in a configuration which I liked.</p><p><br /></p><p>I didn&#039;t want any rings or hooks, since I wasn&#039;t going to snap it onto a chain, and I didn&#039;t want any obvious striker-surface since it wasn&#039;t going to be used for matches. So in the end, I got landed with this <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I fear another area of collecting coming on. I am so screwed...</p><p><br /></p><p>While we&#039;re on this subject, has anybody else here ever used an antique specifically designed for a single purpose, and put it to use for something else in the modern era, since it cannot be used for its original purpose any longer? What was it and what do you do with it now? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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