Cigarette dispenser - Composite - Automatic feeder

CATALOG CARD OF THE OBJECT (ANTIQUE METRICS)Inventory number: ITA/800/03/2026Classification of the object: Silverware for everyday use and office / Desk accessoriesType of product: Automatic desk tobacco dispenser of the “Tric-Trac” type
I. Basic Identification in Probierczy
Country of origin: Italy. (Italia).
Craft Center: Province of Florence (Firenze) – officially stamped by the workshop.
Base metal risk: Sterling silver, fineness 800 (80% pure silver in the alloy).
Official Hallmarking (Front edge of the frame, from left to right): Workshop hallmark: Long hexagon containing the official registration code 236 FI ALFREDO RIDI (confirmation of production in the Tuscan Probierczy district in Florence)
Produced between 1951-1968. Alfredo Ridi registered his business in 1951 and this type of marking was valid until 1968
Main assay stamp: The number 800 inscribed in an oval frame.
Additional official stamp: Two large, clear letters AU inscribed in an oval. The stamp has a legal-commercial character, not related to gilding (no gold plating on the object).
2. Physical and Material Parameters
Total weight of the object: 1.4 kg (solid wooden body with a silver mount).
Weight of the silver alloy itself: 178 grams of solid silver fineness 800.
External dimensions of the dispenser: 22 x 22 cm.
Dimensions of the silver plate (lid): 19.5 x 19.5 cm.
3. Stylistic and Technological Operations
Sculptural style: Design in the Italian neobaroque style. The silver riser is covered with a bas-relief motif of symmetrical curling acanthus leaves and plant volutes emanating from a central, engraved platter/vase crowned with a pine cone motif.
Handmade features: The object has a workshop character. This is evidenced, among others, by intersecting and protruding auxiliary lines of the engraver beyond the point of contact in the corners of the framing. The background is finished with two labor-intensive hand techniques: dense oblique hatching of the tool and fine matte punctiform texture (puncturation).
Internal mechanism: Multi-level dispenser (fan-type). Opening the lid on a long reinforced belt hinge (piano hinge) activates a system of internal linkages that automatically raise the internal cedar frame for the cigarettes.
Restoration works: Restoring full functional usability by commissioning a professional goldsmith to install a solid silver minimalist handle, in the place of two factory mounting holes.
IV. Condition Report
Overall condition: good. The wooden structure and the silver mounting rivets are stable. No deformation of the metal frame. State stamp is heavily worn. A photo of the stamp taken at an appropriate angle and lighting clearly confirms the number 236 FI