Antique California Nugget Chop Cut Tobacco -- Nugget Shaped Tin

Nugget Shaped California Nugget Chop Cut Tobacco Tin
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I found this wonderful little antique tobacco tin while visiting a local consignment shop. I walked past it in the case several times before I finally stopped to take a closer look at it and the other items in the case. I didn't know what it was at first but after getting a good look at the words on it (turns out I was permitted to open the case. I felt so special) I realized it was a tobacco tin. I'm not a tin expert by any stretch of the imagination. I personally lean towards glass but in general like all container type things. From cigar boxes to, apparently tobacco tins. Especially anything small, and/or antique, and I could tell this one was old. Plus, I had never seen this kind of shape before.

Yeah, so I had to have it. Not only because I thought it was cool, but because I didn't really know anything about it and wanted to find out. Also, the Shop was for the benefit of the local Humane Society so it was a win, win, win. I would have been a worse person for not buying it.

As soon as I got it to the car I did a quick Google search for it from my phone but found nothing. Strange, oh well, clearly a seat in front of the ole computer was going to be needed.

Nada.
(click "Read more" below)

Antique Reverse / Inside Painted Cameo Snuff Bottles

Out of all my bottles I have to say the ones I like the most (I seem to like them all the most) are the Reverse / Inside painted Cameo Snuff bottles. The quality and size of the artwork is amazing.

Each bottle is only a couple inches tall and the intricate scenes are painted form the inside, hence "Inside Painted". Normally when painting you would start with the background and work your way forward. In the case of painting one of these bottles you have to work from the foreground to the background, hence also being called "Reverse Painted". This is done with a tiny paint brush with just a couple hairs that is put in through the tiny top opening of the bottle.

The bottles had in most cases two layers of glass. The bottle itself is clear glass that had an outer coating of a colored glass. The top layer (the colored glass) is hand carved away to revel the clear glass below, which has the picture painted on it from the inside. In carving the glass away not only is a border left of the color to frame the picture but designs (usually Chinese Foo Dogs) are carved into the remaining color on the sides, almost like little handles. This makes the cameo bottle when carving layers to reveal others. I have other bottles that are just cameo bottles but these are Cameo AND Reverse Painted. I love'em!! When I get them out of storage I will be sure to put up many more detailed pictures. I included below a few more pic of the collection including a close up of a couple of the Cameo Reverse Painted bottles. Enjoy!