Measuring 9 1/2 inches wide, 7 inches deep and 1 3/4 inches tall, this cigar box is constructed from sterling silver, with a set of "935" purity stamps and an unidentified hallmark of "AIO" or "AZO" on each of the four feet and on the lid handle, with an inner body made out of lacquered hardwood and controlled aging to create bright edges and a dark main body. The top of the lid features the inscription "ZUR ERINNERUNG/AN DAS RUHMREICHE JAHR 1938" (In memory of the glorious year 1938), over 3 pictures. The center, titled "MUNCHEN/30. SEPTEMBER" features British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier, Hitler and Mussolini at the signing of the Munich Agreement. The left and right pictures, featuring prominent Nazi banners over public gatherings, are titled "OSTERREICH" (Austria, commemorating the March 1938 Anschluss) and "SUDETENLAND". The inside of the lid bears the inscription "In aufrichtiger Verehrung und Treuer Freundschaft" (In sincere Adoration and Loyal Friendship) and the signature "Stephanie Hohenlohe". Born Stephany Julienne Richter, she was a ballet student in pre-WWI Vienna, who made her way into the high society of the city, becoming pregnant from a Prince of Tuscany and convincing Friedrich Franz von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfuerst, an Austrian Prince, that the child was his. Their marriage lasted 6 years and ended in divorce, though she would present herself as a Princess for the remainder of her life. Expelled from Paris on suspicion of being a German agent, she set up shop in London, integrating herself into the social circles of the rich and powerful. During the 30's she had regular contact with members of the Nazi elite, being described by MI6 as "frequently summoned by the Fuehrer" and "perhaps the only woman who can exercise any influence on him", as well as declared an "honorary Aryan" (in spite of having at least a Jewish mother and possibly a Jewish father) by Heinrich Himmler. In England she acted as a courier and go-between for pro-Nazi elements in the British elite, including Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, owner of both the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, and Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi Ambassador. Among other acts, she was a major player in arranging the visit of Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King of England) and his wife Wallis to Germany; this visit led to the understanding that if the Germans had pulled off Operation Sea Lion and occupied Great Britain, Edward would once again be King. After the Anschluss, she would be tapped to take charge of Schloss Leopoldskron, a rococo castle that was among the property confiscated from Austria's Jewish population, with the intent to turn it into a guest house for prominent artists as well as a reception facility for Hitler's Berghof. Returning to Britain, she was forced to flee for the United States in 1939 when the war started, reuniting with Fritz Wiedmann, former lover and German Consul in San Francisco. Detained by the Immigration & Naturalization Service in 1941, she responded by striking up a multi-month affair with the Director; as a result she had very little trouble with the organization. The FBI was less taken with her charms, recommending that she be deported ASAP and describing her as extremely dangerous, a spy "worse than ten thousand men". After the Pearl Harbor attack and the formal declaration of war between the U.S. and the Axis Powers, the FBI was able to detain her as an enemy alien; while in custody she was interviewed by OSS men, and provided first-hand information on Hitler's behavior and personality, and her notes were among those used by psychoanalysts to produce the report "Analysis of the Personality of Adolf Hitler", one of two published attempts to break down Hitler's mental state. Following the war she returned to Europe, where she got right back to her usual method of making her way in high circles with notable success, before finally passing on in 1972.

Fine. The silver shows a mixed aged color, with some fingerprints and minor handling marks. The left photograph is mostly faded and shows dark spots, possibly from water exposure, though the other two are legible. The interior is in good shape, with a few tiny edge chips and a small amount of play in the side panels.