I had not seen another example of one of these when I found this--it is a brass tobacco (or tinder) box, with magnifying glass at center of the lid (with brass cap to cover it), with the magnifier meant to be used for starting a fire/lighting one's pipe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, during the fur trade era, boxes like this were produced by The Hudson Bay Trading Company in Canada, among others; this is a c. 1960s version, produced by (and marked) TDC--a company which continues to produce them. So not as old as I might have guessed, but very well crafted, with a nice patina to the surface of the brass, and the magnifying lens of high quality, heavy and substantial. The cover fits tightly over the lens and holds tight, and the boxes itself closes tight and flush.
4 3/8" x 3 1/16" x 1" t. Very good condition, nice patina. Some blackening to the interior surface as evident.
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