Silver cachou, pill or patch box, cylindrical with push on lid, hallmarked in Birmingham, possibly by Joseph Taylor, English, 1797

Boxes like these could be used to store pills, cachous (breath fresheners made from cashew nuts and liquorice), and maybe even patches – such as the small black felt or silk shapes to cover blemishes on the skin, which were often the result of smallpox.

The silver box had been engraved with a triangular pattern and was probably made by Joseph Taylor (1767-1827), a silversmith working in Birmingham, England. It is shown here with a similar example (A641474).