ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU MATCH SAFE VESTA CASE OR BOX STERLING SILVER REPOUSSE MARKED
This antique Victorian English sterling silver Vesta case
or match safe is in very good overall condition with no monogram. The hinge
works and it opens and closes easily, but there is no spring in the lid. It is
marked “STERLING” on both sides of the rim under the lid.
Condition: Very good for its age (100+ years). Small depression or dent on each side. Hinge is operational but there is no spring.
Measures 2. 5 in.high, by 1.5 in. wide.
Weight: 19.14 gr.
Notes about this item: A match safe or vesta case, or simply a “vesta”, is a small box made to
house wax matches. The first successful friction match appeared in
1826, and in 1832 William Newton patented the "wax vesta" in England. Newton named his matches after Vesta, the Roman goddess of fire and the hearth. Small containers
to house these matches were introduced shortly afterwards (in the
early 1830s), to guard against accidental combustion. In England these
containers took their name from the term Newton used for his invention, and
they became known as "vesta cases", "vesta boxes" or simply
"vestas". In America the more descriptive term
"match safes" was chosen. A distinguishing
characteristic of vesta cases is that they have a ribbed surface, usually on
the bottom, for striking and lighting the matches.