✅ SOLVED Small Trinket box with engraved fight scene

[cb73]

I found this at a yard sale. I originally thought it was silver and tried to clean it, but no go. I tried again this morning with Mother's Aluminum (and other metals) cleaner on the lid and it's looking much better.

But the base has black marks that the Mother's won't touch and seems to be a different metal--more of a deep burnished silver-yellow than the top. The underside seems very silver and the base is NOT flat but seems to have been beaten smooth by hand.

The inside is red velvet-like (not true velvet, but not felt, either.) There are no markings or names anywhere on the piece. In the second picture, the lid is the same burnished yellow-gold as the base. That's just a light reflection from the inside.

The box is about 3" by 2 1/2" and stands 1 1/2" tall.

 

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[jewelerguy]

looks like the scene depicts sleeping beauty

 

[nhbenz]

I agree, not a fight scene. Often called jewelry caskets, these were popular in the first quarter of the 1900's, and often depicted courting scenes. The vast majority were just plated, with spelter or antimonial lead as the base.

 

[villagenut]

maybe some sort of mourning trinket, much like mourning lockets back in the 19th century?

 

[mojjax]

Looks like spelter / pot metal

 

[cb73]

Thank you everyone. I found a huge number of "jewelry caskets" on eBay and my exact one is there. Unfortunately, they're not identifying it other than antique (and theirs is in horrible condition) but now I know where further to look.