elperronegro, hope this helps a bit.
http://www.ramshornstudio.com/tobacco_boxes.htm"Snuff taking trickled downwards through all classes of society in the 18th and 19th centuries. Boxes were produced in a wide variety of materials to suit every one from royalty to the humblest folk. Today silver snuff boxes are still reasonably plentiful as are those fashioned in pewter and brass. Brass snuff boxes are relatively inexpensive and can still be found on the market. Wood, mother-of-pearl, ivory, paper mache and even leather were used in the manufacture of snuff boxes. Sea shells, especially large cowries, were fitted with a silver rim and hinged lid.
Horn and bone were also popular, particularly in Scotland. Such boxes might also be mounted with cairngorms or other semi-precious stones such as colorful agates. Even polished cattle hooves were made into handsome snuff boxes with pewter or silver fittings by Scottish artisans. Snuff is of course, ground tobacco, and was used nasally. It was not chewed as is the custom in the US currently.
Taking snuff in Scotland became popular in the early 17th Century, before it took hold in England. The association of the Scottish and French courts brought the habit to the northern kingdom soon after snuff made its appearance in Europe. By the 18th Century, it had become popular throughout the British Isles, and mills were set up to grind the tobacco around the country. Samuel Gawith and Gawith & Hogarth manufactured snuff in the north of England long before they became famous for their pipe tobaccos. Today nasal snuff or Scotch snuff as it is sometimes called is making a comeback in Europe. For a pipe smoker like myself this is rather surprising as putting tobacco up my nose makes me shudder! I once thought Scotch snuff was truly a thing of the past."
Silver, cairngorm and cow horn are exquisitely coupled to make this fine small mull."While snuff boxes are reasonably well known, they are only part of the culture of snuff taking. Snuffs were portable boxes that were small and meant to be carried on the person. The demand for snuff created the need for something bigger; when you consider the quantities used (Napoleon used over 80 pounds per annum, Lord Nelson packed large bundles of snuff for sea voyages), the need for table-top containers becomes clear. Almost like a master salt, the snuff mull stood on the table or sideboard to serve all. The snuff mull is a large sort of oversized snuff box.
The word Mull comes from a Scots dialect word for mill, the snuff having been ground in a mill to a powder, or meal very much like pepper is ground today. While these Mulls came in a variety of shapes, the most common are ram's horns mounted in silver or pewter. In addition to the horn mull, the entire ram's head, again with silver mounts, was sometimes used to create snuff mull. These large mulls, sometimes mounted on wheels, contained very large quantities of snuff, and were often used by fraternal organizations or regimental messes. The various accoutrements associated with snuff (spoons, brushes, and the like) were sometimes attached by chains to the mull. (See photo below.)"
