Antique Wooden Snuffbox And Dice Box Shaped Like A Shoe – Bone Inlays – 19th Century

Welcome to my shop.

A stunning antique wooden box, shaped like a shoe or a foot in a shoe, likely made in the second half of the 19th century.

The box is richly decorated with bone inlays. The toes are adorned with individually attached toenails, also made of bone, while the shoe features small, round, colorful decorations. The removable lid is adorned with a large, finely carved bone appliqué.

The box contains two small original dice. It is therefore likely either a snuff box that also served as a game box, or a unique shoe-shaped dice box. The presence of the two original dice makes this a particularly rare and interesting collector’s item.

A charming piece of folk art intended for collectors of antique snuffboxes, dice, antique games, and tobacco-related objects.

Date: probably circa 1870–1900
Origin: Continental Europe, possibly France
Materials: wood, bone, and colored decorative elements
Length: 10.5 cm
Height: 7.2 cm
Width: 3 cm

Condition: in its original, used but good condition. One of the inlaid bone nails is missing. A small piece of a bone element is also missing from the bottom of the box. Signs of age and use are present, consistent with the object’s age. The two original small dice have been preserved. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they are an integral part of the condition description.

Keywords: antique snuffbox, wooden shoe, dice box, original dice, bone inlay, folk art, tobacco history, 19th century, antique game, curiosity item

Thank you for visiting my shop.

Warm regards,
Ben