Any info on find

[deb]

Hi guys.
Hope your all well. Dug up a little relic today. From what I can gather it's an old match strike box. Haven't attempted cleaning yet. Any one maybe have some info? I've looked online and haven't found one the same. Mine has a little button on side. And no idea what the straight metal bit is for.. And its also engraved. Unfortunatley the lid has become unattatched although it pulled out in one piece. Any info on cleaning. Looks like it still has some matches in it.

 

[Manpa]

Hard to tell from the photo but some early vestas were worn around the neck and the button looks to be in the spot where they often had a loop for a chain to be connected to. The straight metal bit may be what keeps the lid closed or you may lift it out and use it for cleaning your pipe bowl.
Have a look at this link, lots of different styles of vesta, some similar to yours
https://www.1stdibs.com/buy/match-box/

 

[deb]

Hard to tell from the photo but some early vestas were worn around the neck and the button looks to be in the spot where they often had a loop for a chain to be connected to. The straight metal bit may be what keeps the lid closed or you may lift it out and use it for cleaning your pipe bowl.
Have a look at this link, lots of different styles of vesta, some similar to yours
https://www.1stdibs.com/buy/match-box/

It's definitely silver. There was a strip stuck in the lid so I just cleaned that bit. It's definitely a button not where you would hang a chain as it's very raised. Not like something you would hang a chain off. Thanks manpa

 

[Manpa]

Does the button release the lid?

 

[Hawkear]

Clearly looks like a metal match box from the look of some of the match boxes on the link that Manpa provided. Many have a strike plate that folds back under the lid. When it was folded down for striking a match it rested on the flat metal bit to give a solid striking surface.
The flat metal bit may have had a dual purpose to engage a lug on the inside of the lid to keep it closed. The button may then have been necessary to push the small metal flat back to open the lid.
Just some thoughts.

 

[deb]

Clearly looks like a metal match box from the look of some of the match boxes on the link that Manpa provided. Many have a strike plate that folds back under the lid. When it was folded down for striking a match it rested on the flat metal bit to give a solid striking surface.
The flat metal bit may have had a dual purpose to engage a lug on the inside of the lid to keep it closed. The button may then have been necessary to push the small metal flat back to open the lid.
Just some thoughts.

Hi Hawkear. The strike plate is on the bottom of it. Thanks

 

[deb]

Does the button release the lid?

It's too seized at moment to know. But it is definitely to release the lid

 

[deb]

Update.

Took my find up to the antique place today and they dated it back to the 1800s. Well pleased

 

[deb]

Hi guys. Hoping someone can help with an idea on what metal this is. And best was to clean. I managed to clean a little dirt off. Took forever. It has a gold sheen to it. It's so hard to tell. I mean it would be pretty awesome if gold. But brass maybe. But I thought brass goes more black. Then originally I thought copper as the brown tarnish. But copper doesn't really shine like that

 

[grubstake]

Brass, I reckon.

 

[davsgold]

Hi guys. Hoping someone can help with an idea on what metal this is. And best was to clean. I managed to clean a little dirt off. Took forever. It has a gold sheen to it. It's so hard to tell. I mean it would be pretty awesome if gold. But brass maybe. But I thought brass goes more black. Then originally I thought copper as the brown tarnish. But copper doesn't really shine like that

it won't be gold, gold does not tarnish even when its been in the ground for thousands of years, yes copper and brass and bronze and silver all tarnish with time but not gold