NCprivyDigger
Jr. Member
1800's Snuff Jar
I was given this jar a few years back by the owner of some land I was dump digging on. My researched says it's a Snuff Jar from Mid 1800. Can anyone give a more accurate date? Not sure what is in the jar. Appears to be molasses, syrup or honey. Very thick and has sugar crystals forming on the glass where I have rolled the liquid around looking at it. Even responds like molasses, when it's cold it's very thick and slow moving. When it is warm it moves more freely. Don't won't to try opening it since it appears someone over tightened the lid. It has hung up on the tips of where the threads stop and there a stress chips showing on the glass lid.
Anyway, here is the story on how I came to own this piece. It was found it in a wall space we discovered while repairing a kitchen from a tree that had fallen on a house. This house had tongue and groove bead board walls and ceilings. Seems someone made a hiding spot in the wall by putting a few hidden hinges and a trick latch to open it. Eventually the person who made this must have passed on without telling anyone. Over the years it got painted over, then later had sheetrock put over it. The current home owner removed the sheet rock shortly after buying it to restore the beautiful wood walls, ceilings and floors. But had never discovered the hiding spot until it was damaged from the tree falling in on it. Man was it ever hidden well. I got to see it first hand since I was helpping the home owner repair the house in exchange for digging on his property. The trick latch was 5' from the opening hidden by a wall board that would slide out of the way to reveal the trigger latch. As a bonus he let me keep 1 of the 6 identical jars that was in the hiding spot. He on the other hand kept the 5 other jars that were full of money (paper and coins, don't know what the value was), a few poison bottles.... one which was still sealed as new and a pistol of some sort that he wouldn't let me hold or see more than a minute. He was drooling hard over the gun, so he must have known something about guns or antiques. He stopped the repairs on the house and restricted me from any further digging. The property was fenced in and the house disappeared over a few months, alittle at a time. Looks like he got treasure fever with that find and stripped the house to the ground searching for more hidden treasures. I even heard he purchased a metal detector to search the property. But I never saw him again after he stopped me from digging and fenced in the property. Hope what ever he found was worth the money he spent in fencing in 15 acres with 6' high fencing and taking that beautiful house apart to the ground looking for more treasures. I on the other hand walked away with this Snuff Jar and a few Ball/Mason jars and milk bottles I found before being restricted from any further digging. I do need to make a trip back one day to see what has happened to the land..... this all happened 3 years ago. So maybe if he has sold the property I can get back to digging and hopefully find what he may have over looked and/or left behind.
Bill
I was given this jar a few years back by the owner of some land I was dump digging on. My researched says it's a Snuff Jar from Mid 1800. Can anyone give a more accurate date? Not sure what is in the jar. Appears to be molasses, syrup or honey. Very thick and has sugar crystals forming on the glass where I have rolled the liquid around looking at it. Even responds like molasses, when it's cold it's very thick and slow moving. When it is warm it moves more freely. Don't won't to try opening it since it appears someone over tightened the lid. It has hung up on the tips of where the threads stop and there a stress chips showing on the glass lid.
Anyway, here is the story on how I came to own this piece. It was found it in a wall space we discovered while repairing a kitchen from a tree that had fallen on a house. This house had tongue and groove bead board walls and ceilings. Seems someone made a hiding spot in the wall by putting a few hidden hinges and a trick latch to open it. Eventually the person who made this must have passed on without telling anyone. Over the years it got painted over, then later had sheetrock put over it. The current home owner removed the sheet rock shortly after buying it to restore the beautiful wood walls, ceilings and floors. But had never discovered the hiding spot until it was damaged from the tree falling in on it. Man was it ever hidden well. I got to see it first hand since I was helpping the home owner repair the house in exchange for digging on his property. The trick latch was 5' from the opening hidden by a wall board that would slide out of the way to reveal the trigger latch. As a bonus he let me keep 1 of the 6 identical jars that was in the hiding spot. He on the other hand kept the 5 other jars that were full of money (paper and coins, don't know what the value was), a few poison bottles.... one which was still sealed as new and a pistol of some sort that he wouldn't let me hold or see more than a minute. He was drooling hard over the gun, so he must have known something about guns or antiques. He stopped the repairs on the house and restricted me from any further digging. The property was fenced in and the house disappeared over a few months, alittle at a time. Looks like he got treasure fever with that find and stripped the house to the ground searching for more hidden treasures. I even heard he purchased a metal detector to search the property. But I never saw him again after he stopped me from digging and fenced in the property. Hope what ever he found was worth the money he spent in fencing in 15 acres with 6' high fencing and taking that beautiful house apart to the ground looking for more treasures. I on the other hand walked away with this Snuff Jar and a few Ball/Mason jars and milk bottles I found before being restricted from any further digging. I do need to make a trip back one day to see what has happened to the land..... this all happened 3 years ago. So maybe if he has sold the property I can get back to digging and hopefully find what he may have over looked and/or left behind.
Bill
