Featured Small Brass Box

Any idea what for, when and where?
Thanks

 

Matches? Or cigarettes? Looks like a striker area under lid.

 

I agree that’s what I was going to say as well! It’s really pretty

 

Size looks more suitable for cigarettes. And it would only be asking for trouble to strike a match just an inch or two away from a bunch of others! The curved bottom also makes me think it held something round that needed to be easy to pick up.

 

Nice little box Kard !!! .. Joy.

 

Cigarettes, but with a striker in the lid.

 

Were the cigarettes back in a day smaller? This won’t fit a modern size ones.

 

I actually think, even though the safety factor was obviously not figured into the design, that it is for wooden matches. Here is just one example
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/victorian-style-metal-matchbox-match-516317623
I also found a few made from wood!

And this is a site that has a bunch
https://oldcopper.org/special_topics/match_boxes.php

 

Yes, they were.
According to this site https://www.thesmokingstore.com/cigarette-sizes/
They used to be about 2¾" long before filter cigs became popular.

 

Just because a seller calls their item something on eBay doesn't make it so. eBay is often an unreliable resource for identification purposes.

If you scroll down the page, you will see that these are smaller than kard's box with the dimensions given as "The box itself was approximately 65 x 45mm (2 ½ x 1 ¾ “)"

 

I’m leaning towards a match holder. The provided link is for one specific brand so it’s possible other makers made different sizes.

 

Yes, well my link was not to ebay, it was to worthpoint and there were several others sources referring them as match holders.


https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/707919398/fancy-hardwood-matchbox
Here is the wood one I referenced................

 

And here is from other link, now in question. Although it is not the exact size, the purpose seems pretty clear and other examples on the same page showed strikers on the inner lid.

Excerpt:
The broad topic of vesta cases is very well covered elsewhere. This page deals only with the history of one design for match boxes for tables produced in Birmingham from 1910 through to the 1970s by a firm later taken over by Peerage.

 

kardi,
I hope you feel comfortable that I have not lead you astray with my suggestion...as I am only one person of thousands on this site.


Regardless, I think I have provided enough evidence to give kardi some insight into her piece. I was pointing out the striker plate in the inner lid...as Bronwen had made an excellent point regarding the safety of such a feature. If the link to worthpoint/ebay should be disregarded, please do so...but, again, I believe the query has been answered and as long as the OP is satisfied with our responses...it is a moot point.

 

It was an eBay listing on the Worthpoint site. Please see your inbox.

 

It's feasible that it was for long kitchen matches.

 

It's a vesta, as suggested. Striking surface inside, worn through use.