Stanley’s Gold Snuff Box Nets $140,000 at Auction

LONDON — A gold and diamond-encrusted snuff box presented by Queen Victoria to African explorer Henry Morton Stanley in 1872 brought $140,000 at a London auction Tuesday.

The oval box, with the crowned initials of the queen on a deep blue enamel background with encircling gold wreath and diamond-set roses, thistles and shamrocks, formed part of a sale of awards and royal gifts bestowed on Stanley, known for his African expedition that located explorer David Livingstone in 1871.