Victorian Sterling Silver Snuff Box, George Unite & Sons, Birmingham, 1882

  

This is a good quality late Victorian Sterling Silver Snuff Box with a Gilt interior. The box is rectangular with a scalloped edge and all over chased decoration. The lid has a blank oval cartouche in the centre. The snuff box is made in Birmingham by renowned silversmiths George Unite & Sons and dates to 1882. Founded by partners George Unite & James Hilliard in 1825, by 1845 George Unite was in sole charge until his sons joined him in the late 1860s / early 1870s.

In the early 20th century William Lyde joined the company, becoming a partner in 1928. They ceased trading in the mid-1930s. Condition is generally good with just a small crease mark in the cartouche and some snuff staining to the gilt interior plus the superficial surface wear that has to be expected after 140 years of use.

Please make sure to view all the photographs as these form part of the description. The snuff box is 5cm / 1.9ins long, 3.1cm / 1.2ins wide and 1cm / 0.39ins deep.

It weighs a respectable 33.9g / 1.2oz of solid Sterling Silver. The hallmarks on the inside of the lid are well struck and clear to read. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the anchor assay mark for Birmingham, the date letter h for 1882, the Queen Victoria duty mark and the G. U makers' mark for George Unite & Sons.

In addition there is a partial set in the floor of the box featuring the date letter h, the Queen Victoria duty mark and the G. This item is in the category "Antiques\Silver\Solid Silver\Other Solid Silver". The seller is "ir-antiques" and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Republic of Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Bahrain, Canada, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Grenada, French Guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Macau, Monaco, Maldives, Montserrat, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Paraguay, Reunion, Turks and Caicos Islands, Aruba, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Bahamas, Colombia, Kuwait, Philippines, Qatar, Vietnam, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago.

1. Product: Boxes
2. Style: Victorian
3. Age: 1850-1899
4. Pattern: Chased
5. Antique: Yes
6. Composition: Solid Silver
7. Brand: George Unite & Sons
8. Product Details: Sterling Silver Snuff Box
9. Assay Office: Birmingham