English Georgian Brass Pub Tavern Tobacco Honesty Box with Original Key

English Georgian Brass Pub Tavern Tobacco Honesty Box with Original Key, £725

H7" L10" W5"

Ref/03713

A fine English honesty box or tobacco dispenser of brass from the Georgian era, circa 1820 - the rectangular brass box featuring a double-hinged lid and two compartments, one for coins and one for tobacco. Standing on round ball feet and includes a carrying handle and key. Once found in British pubs of the early 19th century, it was known as an “honesty” box - for when a coin was inserted into the slot and the button was pressed, this ingenious device would open to reveal the compartment full of pipe tobacco. Pub owners relied on the “honesty” of their patrons to only take one pinch of tobacco per half-penny coin; hence, the name.