What Exactly is THIS for??

This little piece came out of my late mother in law’s home. We identified the maker as Gorham, 1899. It is very tiny, only 1 inch x 1/2 inch in diameter. I originally thought maybe a tiny snuff/pill box, but the edge has an odd slope that leads to a tiny hole that can be seen when the lid is in place. Any help would be SO appreciated!
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Lizzy, see my response under the marks section that it’s probably a thread dispenser for sewing.

For those of you that visit here or are planning to post up a photo of an item and its marks, take a close look at Lizzy’s photos…these are some of the best photos ever posted on this site…close up, clear, and complete. And of an item that is only a inch long and half an inch wide. Photos like these make identification a breeze.

Many times people have posted up and gotten no response from anyone. Trust me, many of us look at this site very often, and if we are stumped we usually don’t respond and that is not an indication that “no one is home”, just we can’t figure it out, either from a bad (or no) photo, or its a mark we have never seen and is not in anyone’s books.

Again, thanks for joining us, Lizzy.

Uncle Vic

Uncle Vic -

 Thank You Again!!  I think you're on to something with the thread dispenser!  Imagine the opulent home this had to be in!  Sterling Silver thread dispensers!!  My mother in law's grandparents had some money when they came to the US from England - but I'm thinking this was picked up as a nice collectible at sometime.  Thank you so much for all of your help - the posts have been fascinating to read and I'm pretty sure I'm becoming addicted.  I'm a collector of all sorts, but I think I'll be looking for more silver now.  I only have a very few pieces.  Oh, and if it helps other readers - one of the keys to the pictures is patience and GOOD lighting!  Also small things are often easier to focus if you are further away with the camera and use the zoom.  Thanks for saying such a nice thing (and I was worried they would be too blurry!)

Liz

Quick Update to members and a High Five to Uncle Vic - He was exactly on the money - this is a thread case. They must be hard to come by because finding others on the web was quite tough, but this mystery has been solved! THANK YOU AGAIN!!

Liz