This tinder box and steel were part of the equipment of a gaucho, or cattle herdsman, from the South American pampas. Like much of his equipment, it was traditionally made of high standard silver, and was made to be worn on the person, like his dagger.

Tinder boxes and steels date from the time before matches and cigarette lighters made creating fire easy. The tinder, a powdery inflammable material which was used to catch the spark stuck from the steel, was always kept in an air-tight box. This one is shaped like the tail of an armadillo, which was traditionally used as a tinder box by poorer people in the region. The lid is tight-fitting, to prevent the tinder inside from becoming damp, and it is attached to the box by a chain to prevent its becoming lost. The steel is attached to the other end of the chain.

This tinder box was described as Albanian when it was acquired by the Museum in 1894. Although it was undoubtedly made in South America, it may have been used in Albania, as the chain is of lower quality silver than the rest of the piece, and is of a kind which is more common in the Balkans than in South America.