A rare George I / II provincial silver snuff or counter box, Norfolk circa 1725-40 by John Brinds (Grimwade 3400)

A rare George I / II provincial silver snuff or counter box, Norfolk circa 1725-40 by John Brinds (Grimwade 3400)

of cylindrical section with a flat side, a hinged lid inset with a mother of pearl panel, carved with a crest of a unicorn’s head below the motto Nil Time. Engraved to the side Mrs T . G above the date 1742. Marked to the interior with maker’s mark only IB in a shaped punched.

Length – 3.7 cm / 1.45 inches

Weight – 44 grams / 1.41 ozt

The crest and motto are for Glading, Sussex

This rarely ever encountered maker’s mark is listed by Grimwade as “entered as a smallworker, undated, c. November -December 1721. The entry is in a peculiar form ‘Here under is the Certificat of Joⁿ Brinds being the Owner of this Mark Norfok’.

An earlier edition of Jackson noted this as upon an dognose sweatmeat fork.

A pair of tea tongs marked with this form of maker’s mark and lion passant is illustrated The Finial Vol 35 Nov-Dec 2024, lot 146, p.32.