A fine, hand hammered, sterling silver box.  This is a very high   quality silver box, complete with fitted cedar wood lining.  This was done so in order to help keep the tobacco fresh of the cigars and cigarettes that this  lovely box was intended to store.  The inside of the lid of the box is also fully cedar wood lined, which is less common to find.  This is either because they were never lined in the first place, or have been damaged as many of these boxes now enter around one hundred years of age. 

The entire box, aside from an empty small round cartouche on the lid, has been meticulously hand hammered to produce this elegant and dimpled finish.  Techniques like this, and engine turning, were popular ways to add some dimensionality to what is, more often than not, a plain, simple silver box.  The shape is a classic soft edge rectangular one, but it is fairly deep allowing it to be practical for storing things. The front of the lid has a small protruding sterling lip which is added to help the opening and the closing.

The box was made by Joseph Braham of London.  It has a full set of London control assay marks for being made in London in 1904.  Braham ran a small workshop, but one that produced excellent items.  So much so that it caught the attention of a Mr. Stanley Padgett.  Mr. Padgett spent the majority of his life adding to his stable of talented silvermsiths and craftspeople.  It was noted in an article of Mr. Padgett that; “since the war, Mr Padgett has been collecting craftsmen – his aim being to assemble under one roof the most skilled teams of experts available.” 

The box is presented in  excellent  condition, free from any damage, having an excellent hinge, with the lid closing snugly to the base. Two sets of crisp, matching hallmarks are present on the exterior side. The inside cedar wood lining is in excellent condition.  The original divider is present inside which has three ways to divide the box, or it can be removed completely allowing the whole width of the box to be used.