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Hi,
I inherited this box.
Can anybody give me hint from where it comes, age, value etc?
Thank you very much
Michael
The box is about 9cm high

This item is what usually is called a Cambodian silver "Fu Dog" or "Buddhistic Lion" betel box. Whether it actually is Cambodian is debatable, because I believe that many of them came from Thailand and Vietnam during the third quarter of the 20th century or were made later by Khmer refugees in Thailand and by Thai artisans working in Chiang Mai and other handicraft centers. As such, "Cambodian-style" would be an apt adjective for them much of the time.

Another important step toward valuing the box would be to determine whether it is truly silver and, if so, its grade of purity. Meanwhile, I'd suggest researching prices on eBay, liveauctioneers.com, trocadero.com and other web resources for an idea of value.

Here are some photos showing other allegedly silver Cambodian-style betel boxes of various forms and sizes acquired in Thailand during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thank you for your helpful mail
Michael

I have quite a few of these. They come from Tibet, can be as old as 19th c, but I would guess most are from the mid 20th c.

These type of boxes are made with about 80-90% silver, what some may call 'coin' silver. It tarnishes something awful and consequently I find these boxes being sold as 'brass' for very cheap.

It will take some good silver polish and some hard scrubbing with a soft cloth, but these boxes polish up beautifully.

They come in many auspicious animal forms.

Tim

Thank you for your help
Michael

Looks like a Cambodian silver box. Are there any marks on the bottom?

Thank you for your help
There are no marks and the silver content is very low
Michael

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