help antique vesta case?? hand carved/writing?? metal .help me plssssss x

[wendy177]

Being so small maybe a rosary box or possibly a small sick call box.

[maggiefound]

whats a sick box pls?? what were they used for? , do you think its really old???. its like a black colour but when you try and clean it its bright silver underneath x

[mart]

That would be church collection box !! As in when you attend services to put monetary donations in !!

[maggiefound]

UPDATE so went to jewelers today and they said its pewter. i then rang a pewter dealer who advised me its a spice box, but could not understand why it has German common prayers on it, he thought the cross had been a later addition as the spice box could have been made then donated to a church who then put the prayer on and the cross, but ive been told the cross looks original. theres a similar one on ebay, obviously i knowmines not worth that much but hey ho for a pound any moneys better than a quid. il keep you updated, the dealer was intrigued and asked for more pic so il let you know when he gets back in touch, anyone else have thoughts on it being a spice box??
also been told the language on the box is lutherian (if thats how you spell it)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ESTATE-Antique-Pewter-Besamim-Spice-Box-Germany-C1880-/330582369198?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf83ea3ae&clk_rvr_id=506154155838&afsrc=1

[mart]

Not a spice box !! That's the way pewter is made !!

[Ipcress]

How about someone making a spice box for a church member as a gift ?

[maggiefound]

hi ip. yes thought that, the man you told me to get in touch with has emailed me back and told me its a 1750-1800 spice box, heres the email
Hello,

 

the object shown is a sliding lid box made of pewter that is certainly of German origin, dating from 1750-1800. This kind of boy was usually used to store spices in the kitchen and are often described as spice boxes, but yours is unusual in several ways.

 

The knob in the from of a orb with cross is not typical, as is the inscription. I can confirm that it is the lord’s prayer in German on the lid, but I could not read the inscriptions on the sides due to the photo quality. The inscription and the cross leads to the assumption, that this was possibly for ecclesial use, storing holy wafers or similar things in a church. Another possible interpretation is that this was a medicine box of a very piteous person, hoping that the inscription would add potency to the medicines stored inside.

 

Best regards,
thanks so much for sending me the contact. ive had a dealer email me and offered 80 pounds at first but i said no id like to keep hold of it now hes gone upto £100. i dont know what to do. and suggestions? x
 

Robert Weis

[maggiefound]

sorry i inputted my bit before robert weiss signed email haha x

[Ipcress]

Hi
I'm glad he replied, he's superb with German artefacts. It's a bit earlier than i thought. Is there no way of taking photos of the sides like you did the top ? Just in good daylight, maybe with a macro setting on the camera if it has one.

I would not accept that offer yet. I have a feeling this is worth several times more.

[maggiefound]

hi no im not going to think il get more. well id like to think so.
someone has tanslated the sides it says it is a common lords prayer in Lutheran  and round the sides it says ""Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest; And bless what you have bestowed" again in Lutheran .

[maggiefound]

he replied with this after i told him about the sides...

Hello Leanne,

 

thank you for updating me on the inscription. The line engraved along the sides is also a common German prayer, usually said before lunch or dinner with the whole family. So this puts the box back to its common use as a spice box. It must have been used at the table of a very pious person as most boxes are undecorated or just show engraved vines or flowers. Maybe it comes from a monastery or a priest’s household.

[Ipcress]

Couple of years ago i was at an auction and bought a German pewter, glass and porcelain steini. It had been catalogued as military but it wasn't and people were obviously a little confused about it as i picked it up for £20. I'd recognised a mark on it for Dresden, late 19th century, and the inscription was for a student, not a soldier. " Studentika " as it's known in Germany. I listed it on German ebay with German and English descriptions and it sold for £190. Would probably not have made that amount had i listed it on English ebay or re-catalogued it properly for auction here in the UK.

I would tell Robert that you are interested in consigning it for auction and ask what the estimate would be.

[mart]

Have never seen a spice box like that,, however have not seen that many either !!  Most were rather plain with little decoration !!  I could see some sort of church use !!   German artifacts are not exactly my area !!