The Victorian Shop Dispenser

Feast your eyes on this metal box with ornate gold stenciling and a beveled glass front. It even has a small sliding door with a picture of some dogs. What do you think it was used for?

This elegant box is actually a Victorian shop dispenser. It was designed for selling goods in bulk and came in various sizes. In this particular one, it had a label insert for gunpowder, but it could have been used for sugar, candy, or other bulk commodities as well. The glass front allowed customers to see the quality of the goods they were purchasing. And why the picture of hunting dogs? Well, it’s just a decorative touch because the intention was to store gunpowder only. Quite an interesting piece, isn’t it?