A powder flask is a container for carrying gunpowder used to load muzzle-loading firearms. It usually has a spout or nozzle with a measuring device, so that a precise charge can be poured into the barrel, and is made to be carried on the person or hung from a belt or strap.
Powder flasks were used from the sixteenth century until breech-loading cartridges replaced muzzle-loaders in the later nineteenth century. Early examples were made of horn, wood, leather, ivory or metal, and those of the Renaissance and seventeenth century could be richly decorated with engraving, carving or inlay. Powder horns made from cow horn were common for military and hunting use. In the nineteenth century firms in Birmingham and Sheffield, notably James Dixon and Sons, produced large numbers of copper and brass flasks with embossed designs of game, hunting scenes, shells and foliage, often with adjustable measuring nozzles. Collectors look for crisp embossing, original lacquer, working spring mechanisms and makers' stamps on the nozzle. Damaged or replaced nozzles reduce value. Powder flasks are popular with collectors of sporting and militaria items and look well displayed in gun rooms and libraries.
