Pill Box In 18 Carat Gold, 97 Grams, Paris 1819 / 1838

Combining the beauty of a work of art with an investment in gold that continues to increase, Paris, around 1830 this pillbox
rectangular with a curved shape having on the top and bottom a serrated plate on which the medicinal paste was placed in order to trace marks before making a uniform cut of the preparation.

The sides of this pillbox are superbly carved with flowers, foliage and stylized cornucopias on an amati background.

Various hallmarks to be determined including that of the Paris Gold Guarantee (bull) 1819-1839.

The specially curved shape allows the specific use of the pill organizer (see below).

Length 85mm

Height 14mm

Width 53mm

Weight 97 grams

The pillbox has existed since the 18th century, in ivory, copper, silver or gold.

Originally the pill bottle was used to make medicine.
He is at the origin of the tablet as we know it today.
The pill was a dry composition composed of ingredients powdered and incorporated into a liquid.
We then made a mixture which was in the form of pasta to be cut up in order to ingest it.

This system evolved until mechanization, the pill dispenser then disappeared.

There are a few examples left, the rarest of which are exhibited in museums.

The dough obtained was cut into more or less equal pieces then rolled in the hands or between the fingers.
However, the dosage was not perfect!

It was in the 18th century that a new tool was invented

THE PILL BOX

composed of a serrated plate on which the dough was placed which made it possible to trace marks in order to be able to make a precise and homogeneous cut which was finished by rolling it between the fingers.

Gold snuff boxes are more common, but gold pill boxes are little known and extremely rare.

Very beautiful collector's item which combines beauty, invention and wealth which can still be used today as a modern pillbox!

Historical Research

In the 18th century a tool was invented, the pillbox, which Mr. Antoine Baumé (1728-1804), French pharmacist and chemist, described as follows: a serrated plate like a saw, in ivory, leather or silver into which the paste is introduced .

This system allows you to trace marks using saw teeth on the dough to help with cutting. You end up rolling the dough between your hands, and if the “mass” is too hard, you can soften it with l soft oil and sometimes even with saliva...

Extract from Baumé’s work.