S/2241 Antique Treen 19th Century Boxwood Pill Flattener

A rare early 19th century boxwood cylindrical pill flattener, having a screw fitting lid that reveals a round interior boxwood plug, which fits into a metal cup fitted in the base.

The idea being, having made the rounded pill, it is placed into the metal cup and by pressing down on the plug it will produce a flat circular pill. Usually these were put into a pill rounder and using a circular motion they became round in design. As far as we can ascertain, this seems to be an unrecorded item, not mentioned in Pinto or other reference books.

Provenance: Ex. Charlton Collection labelled CH77

Sold 2 in. (5cm.) High
2½ in. (6.5 cm.) Diameter English Circa 1820