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| Cape Silver Snuff Box - William Moore
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Reference: S11509
Period: Victorian
Year: 1840-1863
Silversmith: William Moore
Place: Cape
Price: $ 860.00
Weight: 81 grams
Dimensions: 6.5 cm * 4.0 cm
Condition: Very good, hinge excellent with snug closure, wear and light scratches on base from use. Original interior gilding very good. Small black oxidation stain on lid.
Description: A Cape silver snuff box by William Moore, who was previously thought to have only produced flatware, so this is a rare example. The snuffbox is the traditional rectangular shape, plain except for the engraved lid with scrolls and flowers around an irregular cartouche, which has never been engraved. The box also has a cast silver thumb piece, also with flowers and scrolls, and the interior is gilded. The box is lovely quality and a pleasing weight (81 grams). Both the lid and the base are clearly hallmarked, the lid with makers mark W.M only, the base has 5 hallmarks, 4 pseudo English hallmarks arranged around the W.M makers mark. These include pseudo Georgian duty mark, pseudo crowned leopard's head town mark, pseudo date letter a and a 4th indistinct mark, possibly another head shaped duty mark. William Moore usually used a WM mark without dot, so this is a different punch, it is recorded on the website www.capesilvermarks.co.za. The pseudo date letter a is regularly seen on Cape silver, used by silversmiths Twentyman, Waldek, Townsend and Beck, they also used the pseudo duty and town marks, it is assumed they either shared workshops or punches, or took over punches when some-one stopped working. William Moore was a successful retailer in Cape Town between 1840 and 1863, and was previously thought to have only retailed flatware (Heller Vol. II page 111).
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Cape Silver Snuff Box
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Cape Silver Snuff Box - William Moore
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Silver Snuff Box - William Moore
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Cape Silver Snuff Box gilded interior
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William moore cape silver
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William Moore Cape silver hallmarks
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