The lucky winner of our Silver Snuff Box competition in December 2008 was kind enough to send in some photos of himself using the Silver Snuff Box Pattern Lid, that we got to him as promised in time for Christmas 2008 - as an early Christmas present from us!

Leman from Iowa in the USA was picked at random from the snuff reviews submitted within the time frame specified. Leman doesn’t know it yet, but we’re going to try and get him to pick the number of the lucky entrant’s review for the current snuff box competition, which closes at the end of March.

So well done to you Leman and good luck to all those entering the Walnut Snuff Box competition this March.

Leman Enjoying A Pinch Of Samuel Gawith Golden Glow From His New Silver Snuff Box!

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Just added two new wooden snuff boxes to snuff store.

Two Tone Rose Wood Snuff Box and the Embossed Crest Wooden Snuff Box.

Below are four images of these snuff boxes, including images of the snuff boxes open showing the sliding lid.

Two Tone Rose Wood Closed

Two Tone Rose Wood Snuff Box Open

Crest Snuff Box Closed

Crest Snuff Box Open

We are always looking for new snuff accessories to add to Snuff Store’s inventory. If you see something elsewhere that we do not yet stock, or have an idea of something snuff related that you’d like us to try and source please feel free to contact us.

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Just taken delivery of these lovely silver snuff boxes with engraved lids - Silver Snuff Box Engraved Lid.

The snuff box is made from .925 Sterling Silver. It has various hallmarks on the back; size-wise, it’s approximately 6.2 cm x 3.4 cm x 1.5 cm and weighs about 34 grams. The below is of the silver snuff box standing next to a one penny piece to give some idea of size.

The below picture may give you some idea of how shiny these silver snuff boxes are. Please excuse my reflection in this image, but I wanted to try and get some detail of the engraving on the lid!

The next two images are of the silver snuff box open, with the snuff storage area shown. Again, I’ve used a penny piece to try and give a size comparison for you.

Check out the silver snuff box offerings on Snuff Store for further details.

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Making your own snuff using a snuff grinder of some description is really easy.

In the below example I’ve used a small plastic snuff mill / snuff grinder - whilst it’s not designed for everyday ‘heavy’ use, (for that I would suggest a metal snuff grinder) I think from the images below you can see that making your own snuff using a snuff mill is fairly straight forward.

You could also use a salt / pepper grinder or a coffee grinder. If you want to really go back to basics, then a pestle and mortar could also be used to grind up your tobacco into snuff.

Most snuff grinders / mills are of a similar design, they’ll generally have three parts. The first is the hand grinder at the top which you turn to rotate the grinding blades.

The second is the tobacco and sieve chamber. Depending on the snuff mill you’re using, this will vary in size. Some have a large capacity. The blades are usually on a spring type mechanism, this automatically pushes down on the tobacco that you’ve put in the tobacco chamber. The tobacco is pushed against the sieve and you turn the grinding handle to blend your tobacco into snuff.

The third is the snuff chamber, or sometimes it’s a chamber that has a funnel that you place inside a suitable container whilst grinding your tobacco into snuff in the mill.

All you then need to do is transfer your ground up snuff powder into a suitable container / or snuff box and you’re all set to use your homemade snuff.

The tobacco used in the snuff mill for this snuff grinder experiment was sourced from a old packet of ‘Lucky Strike’ cigarettes.

The tobacco in Lucky Strike I think is ‘toasted’ and so the snuff that was created in the milling process not only looks a little like High Dry Toast, it also has a similar aroma!

I found about ten cigarettes in a kitchen drawer. I do not know how long they’d been in there, so I opened them up and removed the tobacco, placed the tobacco on grease proof paper in a baking tray, then I put it in the oven for a few minutes on a low heat to makesure the tobacco was totally dried out.

I then put the tobacco in the snuff mill’s tobacco chamber in small batches and steadily ground it down. All I was left with at the end was a few stubborn bits of stalk, which I’m sure if I had the patience I could have turned into snuff with a few more moment’s work!

Now to take a pinch of snuff. I was ‘testing’ the snuff as I was grinding it, purely for research purposes you understand - the line of snuff you see below was my first ‘big’ pinch after already deciding the snuff was good due to these earlier tests…!

So that’s the left nostril done, now for the right nostril!

Right nostril done and no sneezing… Or should I say ‘with no grimace‘?!

The strange thing being, is that the wooden snuff box that I transferred the home made snuff into, had previously been full of a menthol snuff. This added a slight menthol flavour to the snuff that wasn’t at all un-pleasant!

So there you have it, if you’re interested in DIY snuff making get yourself a snuff grinder of some description and have a go!

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Hi All,

I’m re-reading through a few ‘dog eared’ snuff books that I have aquired over time and most seem to have a section on famous snuff takers.

Living close to the home of Charles Darwin, I remembered seeing a snuff box on display in his home - Down House; which is saved for the nation, open to the public and looked after now by English Heritage.

I did a search online and found that on the website Darwin Online, there are 42 results for the search term ‘snuff‘.

One of my favourites being the below.

Snuff was a stimulant, and was taken during working hours. He took snuff for many years of his life, having learnt the habit at Edinburgh as a student. He had a nice silver snuff-box given him by Mrs. Wedgwood of Maer, which he valued much—but he rarely carried it, because it tempted him to take too many pinches. In one of his early letters he speaks of having given up snuff for a month, and describes himself as feeling “most lethargic, stupid and melancholy.” Our former neighbour and clergyman, Mr. Brodie Innes, tells me that at one time my father made a resolve not to take snuff except away from home, “a most satisfactory arrangement for me,” he adds, “as I kept a box in my study to which there was access from the garden without summoning servants, and I had more frequently, than might have been otherwise the case, the privilege of a few minutes’ conversation with my dear friend.” He generally took snuff from a jar on the hall table, because having to go this distance for a pinch was a slight check; the clink of the lid of the snuff jar was a very familiar sound. Sometimes when he was in the drawing-room, it would occur to him that the study fire must be burning low, and when some of us offered to see after it, it would turn out that he also wished to get a pinch of snuff.

Anyone else got a favourite snuff related quote orginating from a famous snuff taker?

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The Silver Snuff Boxes have landed!

They are now listed on site - click Silver Snuff Box for more detals; as promised below are some additional photos for those of you wishing to see the silver snuff boxes from different angles.

This Silver Snuff Box has a pattern on the lid.

This is the plain highly polished silver snuff box.

This silver snuff box is slightly heavier than the other two rectangle snuff boxes.

This is the round silver snuff box.

I hope the above are of assistance to any of you who are considering adding a new silver snuff box to your collection. If there’s any other snuff box ‘views’ you’d like me to take a quick photo of, please get in touch using the contact area of the main site.

Many thanks for taking the time to view these silver snuff box images.

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A Pinch Of Snuff is a story attributed to Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov.

Snuff and snuff taking is mentioned in several other Jewish stories and teachings, more will follow shortly.

A PINCH OF SNUFF

And then there was the time that a poor man named Reb Shmuel came with a group of beggars to collect charity at the shule of the Baal Shem Tov. The shammos (caretaker) of the shule gave each beggar a few coins but the poor man declined.

“No, thank you,” said Reb Shmuel, “I want to speak to the Baal Shem Tov.”

“Let me ask the Rebbe,” said the shammos. The shammos returned and offered the poor man a larger sum of money.

Reb Shmuel responded, “No, thank you, I only want to meet with the Baal Shem Tov.”

After the shammos related what happened, Reb Shmuel was invited in to meet with the Baal Shem Tov.

“So,” said the Baal Shem Tov, closely studying the poor man, “you are not satisfied with my donation?”

“Rebbe,” responded Reb Shmuel, “I don’t want a donation. I’m not a beggar, just a poor man that is down on his luck. I used to be a very rich man and was known as a baal tzedeka (philanthropist) that often helped people get started again if they had a business setback. Every Shabbos and Yom Tov my table was surrounded by poor people and wanderers. I had a large, successful business. Then one day, everything changed. I lost all my wealth and finally had to resort to living as a wandering beggar. Rebbe, why did I lose my wealth and position so suddenly?”

The Baal Shem Tov thought for a while and said, “My dear friend, it’s just a pinch of snuff.” (In those days, sharing a pinch of snuff was common and considered to be of little financial consequence, like a mint today.)

“What do you mean, Rebbe?” said the poor man. “It’s not just a pinch of snuff. It’s my whole livelihood that’s gone. Can’t you see, I’m walking around in rags and I have holes in my boots.”

“You don’t understand,” answered the Baal Shem Tov, “I mean your loss of wealth was caused by a pinch of snuff. Do you remember one Shabbos when you were sitting at your table surrounded by many guests and you took a pinch of snuff from your special jeweled, silver snuff box and then suddenly closed the snuff box?”

The poor man started to remember that fateful day as a clear vision of the incident flooded his memory. “Oh my G.d,” said the poor man to the Baal Shem Tov, “there was a poor wanderer sitting next to me. When he reached over to take a pinch of snuff from my special jeweled, silver snuff box, I closed it and said, ‘What’s wrong, isn’t that other snuff box I put on the table for my guests good enough for you to use?’ That poor wanderer turned red with embarrassment and didn’t say another word.”

“That’s exactly what I’m speaking of,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “That man had also been a rich man that was down on his fortune. He had been planning to ask you for a loan to get back on his feet. But, he was so embarrassed by what you did that he just left without speaking to you. And just at that moment,” continued the Baal Shem Tov, “it was decreed in Heaven that you would change places with him. Your fortune would go to him and you would have to beg from door to door as he had.”

“Oh Rebbe, now I remember so clearly, moaned the poor man. From that day, all my business ventures failed and I lost everything until I reached the state that I’m in, having to wander and beg. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to take back that thoughtless act. Rebbe, is there anything I can do to change my situation?”

The Baal Shem Tov closed his eyes and thought. After a long pause he said, “Well, if you were to approach that beggar turned rich man and ask him for a pinch of snuff and he would refuse you, then your fortunes would again be reversed.”

The poor man immediately left and started to wander looking for that man with whom he had changed places. After many months, he came to a town that was buzzing with preparations being made for a big wedding. He learned that the bride was the daughter of a very rich man. A huge banquet was planned for the wedding and everyone in the town was invited. The poor man went to shule to catch a glimpse of the rich man. At first he didn’t recognize him because of his fancy clothes and new stature. But, finally the poor man realized, “Oh my G.d, that’s him!”

The poor man began to plot a plan as to when to confront the rich man and ask him for a pinch of snuff. He decided to wait until just the right time, the night of the wedding.

At last, the night of the wedding arrived. It was a huge celebration as only such a rich man could afford. After the wedding ceremony, everyone was in the banquet hall eating and drinking and dancing. And right in the middle of the party, the rich man was dancing surrounded by his friends and well wishers. Just at that moment, the poor man broke through the crowd and approached the rich man.

“Excuse me,” he said to the exuberant rich man, “could I please bother you for a pinch of snuff?”

The rich man, immediately broke away from the other dancer’s and took out his jeweled, silver snuff box and offered the poor man a pinch of snuff. The poor man fell down in a swoon. Everyone started to run over to see what happened. The rich man told them, “Move back, give him air!” Then he said to the poor man with great concern in his voice, “What’s wrong? Do want a drink? What can I do for you?”

The poor man started to cry. “Why did you give me the snuff? If you had just refused, I’d be rich again,” continued the poor man. Then he told the rich man the whole story of how they changed places.

“Oh yes, I remember that day. And it is true, from that day on, everything I touched turned to gold. I became richer and richer. It almost seemed to be heaven sent. In some way you are my benefactor and I’m not going to let you suffer any more. Your wandering days are over. I have a great idea. Why don’t you join me in the business? There’s much more than I can handle by myself. You can move your family to this town and we can work together.”

And so it was.

Freely adapted from a story in NOTZER CHESED as translated in STORIES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Y.Y. Klapholtz.

Rabbi Gershon S. Caudill

As for me, I vow to continue to offer a pinch of snuff to anyone who asks!

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Silver Snuff Box

Snuff Store has been on the lookout for a ‘quality’ silver snuff box supplier for several months. We now think that we’ve found a suitable silver manufacturer, who has a history of producing fine silver snuff boxes.

As of 25th March the below are available, click Silver Snuff Boxes for more details.

We’re in the process of deciding which snuff boxes to stock and at what price to list them on site. There are about 15 to choose from and we’ve narrowed these down to three as fully described below. In fact, the viability of this silver snuff box quest will eventually be determined by our Snuff Store customers.

Please see below images of silver snuff boxes that we feel are suitable and please either contact us via details on this page, or leave a comment on this post about whether you feel the snuff boxes are suitable; what price you would expect to see them listed at, and finally if we listed them on site would you be interested in purchasing them?

If the snuff box suitability questions come back positive and the prices that you think they should be marked at are within the reach of Snuff Store, we will stock these items. If not, we shall carry on looking!

Round Silver Snuff Box

The round silver snuff box. This snuff box reminds me of the Ozona Raspberry Snuff dispenser. It is .925 Sterling Silver and has various hallmarks; size-wise, it’s 3.8cm diameter x 1 cm deep and weighs 24 grams.

Silver Snuff Box Rectangle

This silver snuff box has an embossed pattern style on the lid. It is .925 Sterling Silver and has various hallmarks; size-wise, it’s 6.2 x 3.4 x 1.5 cms and weighs 34 grams. This unlike several of the other boxes out there is actually described by the manufacturer as a ’snuff box’ - not a pill box. For snuffers, it’s unusual to find something actually manufactured in silver specifically for snuff storage these days.

Plain Silver Snuff Box Rectangle

The plain silver rectangle snuff box is similar in dimensions to the embossed snuff box. It is .925 Sterling Silver and has various hallmarks; size-wise, it’s 6.2 x 3.4 x 1.5 cms and weighs 34 grams. Like the embossed version above, (and unlike several of the other silver boxes out there) it is actually described by the manufacturer as a ’snuff box’ - not a pill box.

So there we have it, what we need from you is an indication as to whether silver snuff boxes like the above would be of interest to you and what you would consider a suitable price for the three silver snuff box offerings above. If the general consensus is ‘yes’ to interested and the price suggested is workable, we’ll stock them.

Silver Snuff Box

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Nice Silver Snuff Boxes are difficult to get hold of unless you’re prepared to buy second hand.

The antique snuff box section has a fine selection in silver and other precious metal from ebay and other sites; for those of us who’re prepared to buy snuff boxes second hand - or ‘pre-loved’ as some of my friends call it!

You’ll need to ask questions of the seller and ascertain for yourself whether the snuff box in question is still useable / snuff proof, but there are definitely some bargains to be had in silver on the antique snuff box page.

The other day I found a site listing a fine variety of new individual snuff boxes in both silver and gold. These boxes also can be bought with semi-precious stone lids, engraved, or left plain.

To view the listings click Silver Snuff Box and see what’s available today. Don’t forget to keep checking as they’re always adding new items.

Silver Snuff Box

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Snuff Camaraderie musings…

The nice thing about people who use snuff is the camaraderie - if you see someone in a pub taking snuff, complete strangers will soon be asking them for a ‘pinch’, and they’re always facilitated.

The contents of their ‘box’ is discussed and then the guessing game of which blend, what flavours can be detected etc commences.

Lifetime friendships are often forged over the contents of a snuff box.

It may be a strange facet of human nature that people with apparently nothing else in common, but the love of tobacco in powered form always seem to hit it off; but then again isn’t that just a lovely trait not to be ‘sniffed’ at?!

Those of you who know me, know that I sometimes have the ability to ‘talk the hind legs off of a donkey’… Especially if it’s a topic that’s close to my heart.

Today I was left speechless by the kindness of a Snuff Store regular - John Baxter.

On a description of McChrystals Violet Snuff, I had said that it had a sweet flavour that reminded Julia and I of good old fashioned violet sweets that we used to eat as kids!

Well, what should arrive today in the post? Four tubes of Palma Violets, with a nice note attached asking if these were the ‘violet’ sweets in question?

As I said earlier, snuffers are a nice bunch - how lovely to get a gift package in the post.

Cheers John!

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