A very unusual mahogany, brass and steel portable Snuff Cutter or Guillotine, for travelling, campaign tours etc.
The sliding lid opens to the interior where the cutter is stored. It comprises of
a blade which folds like a penknife into its brass handle. Of note is that the handle doesn't fold over the blade's edge as you would expect but over the back of the blade. If it folded over the edge it would mean that it could also do so when in use. The tip of the blade has a riveted brass screw fitting that fits to the mahogany lid. The rivet allows the blade to be lifted and dropped to the box top, which acts as a chopping board. The top slides off the box to pack the blade inside with the edge fitting into a recess.
It is possible that this box came from Fred W Hammond , as a similar one with his trade label has been illustrated. He was an Importer of Snuffs and Tobaccoes, Meerschaum and Briar Root Pipes, Snuff Boxes, Tobacco Pouches, Cigar Holders, Amber Mounts, &c. 25 Westmoreland-street, Dublin, Lamkin's Cork Snuff. . Hammond are listed in the Dublin Trade Directories of the mid 1860s and 1870s.
C 1865.The box measures 13.8cm l x 7cm w x 2.5cm h
