Tobacciana - Smoking Collectibles - Vintage Accessories

Tobacciana - Smoking Collectibles - Vintage Accessories

Variety of Ashtrays, Cigar Labels, Cigarette Case, Matchbooks & Cigarette Holder

Tobacco became popular in Europe in the 1600s when traders brought back plants from the Americas. At first tobacco was used in traditional pipes, but later it came into use as snuff, and rolled into cigarettes. Today tobacco use is frowned upon as an unhealthy habit, but many of the accessories have become sought after collectibles.

Ashtrays are cross-over collectibles. Those who collect Art Pottery, Advertising Items, Glass or Crystal, Novelty or Holiday Souvenirs will have ashtrays in their collections.

Vintage Melamine Naughty Novelty Ashtray

Melamine resin, a durable thermosetting plastic, became popular in the United States in the late 1930s with the advent of dishwashers. This c1940s "naughty" ashtray is embossed with an incongruous couple who are out on the town, with the caption "Oh! Ah!". A great novelty collectible.

Benedictine Advertising Ashtray

 

A figural glass ashtray, shaped like a bottle of B and B, a liqueur from France, made by Ivorex c1940s.

Tonala Mexico Art Pottery Turtle Ashtray

 A figural Tonala Mexico Art Pottery Turtle shaped ashtray, hand decorated.

Storage boxes, dispensers, and portable cigarette holder cases come in a wide variety of styles, materials, shapes and sizes. Popular during the 1920s right through the 1980s whether entertaining at home, or carrying your necessities while out for the evening, you had to have somewhere elegant or handy to keep your smoking essentials.

Japanese Wood Inlay Cigarette Box

Lovely mid-century Japanese marquetry wood inlay Pagoda House cigarette cabinet. 

When entertaining in the home, many kept a cabinet or dispenser holding cigarettes for their guests to help themselves.

4 Doors that open on box

Each side of the box has a door which opens with special inserts attached, each able to hold 5 cigarettes.

Cigarette Box holds 20

Banbi Musical Cigarette Case

A cigarette case to carry in your purse or pocket by Banbi Eagle KPK Brand in its original box. There is a musical wind-up movement inside and the outside is decorated with rhinestones and a tiny personalized engraved panel. c1950s.

Wind-up musical movement inside

Matched Compact & Cigarette Case

For the discerning woman, a matched set; face powder compact and a cigarette case. Made from brass with a padded vinyl painted decorative outer lid c1940s.

GWR Railway Hotels Matchbox Holder

Besides providing ashtrays in hotels, bars and restaurants, matches were offered and matchbox stands were once a common sight in luxury locations.

This matchbox pedestal stand is silver plated and engraved with Great Western Railway Hotels (England), hallmarked by Elkington Plate. GWR was the first railway in the world to build hotels at its stops.  GWR became part of British Rail in 1947.

The stand is hallmarked with a date symbol of 1929.

Matchbook Safe or Match Holder

Safe opens to insert book

A souvenir of New York City's RCA Building, a matchbook safe or match holder. Made from celluloid c1930s and just large enough to hold one matchbook. A great Art Deco period piece of Tobacciana.

Fitz & Floyd Ceramic Match Holder

Striker on the base

A whimsical ceramic match holder by Fitz & Floyd with the striker panel on the base, signed ©FF. 

Matchbook covers are collectible. Some prefer them intact with unstruck matches and others carefully remove the matches so the books can be displayed. Please remember that matches with their sulphur tips intact cannot be sent through the postal system.

Thompson Models Pin Up Girlie Match Covers 1955 Matched Set of 5

This set is a 1955 issue of Thompson Models Pin Up Girls, often referred to as Girlie Covers. All advertise the same Valley Inn in PA USA. Ideally, collectors like the striker strip unscratched/unstruck.

Matchbook Cover

A matchbook cover advertising Christian's Food & Grog Hut. A cross-over collectible matchbook for those who also collect Tiki items. 

Matchbook Cover

A matchbook cover advertising Winston Brand Cigarettes.

Dunhill Portugal Pipe Ashtray

Pipe collectors may add figural pipe ashtrays to their collections. This one is by Dunhill, made in Portugal and signed on the base. 

Dunhill stamp on base

Collectors also like to display their pipe collections and stands can hold singles or multiples.

Peerage UK Brass Pipe Stand

Solid brass single pipe stand, signed Peerage England.

Peerage England signature

Peerage England also produces horse brasses and other brassware.

Porcelain Germany Pipe Bowl

A hand painted vintage porcelain pipe bowl, made in Germany. This device would be connected to a stem for smoking.

Cigarette and cigar lighters are a collectible genre all on their own. Styles include pocket lighters and table lighters. Please remember filled lighters cannot travel via the postal system. They must be empty.

Alpco Japan Lighters

Collection of 3 colourful textured leather-wrapped brass Alpco Japan mid-century cigarette lighters.

Kreisler USA Table Lighter

A table lighter by Kreisler USA, mid-century copper slide cover with engraved Atomic Stars.

Novelty Globe Lighter

Made in Korea, a mid-century novelty World Globe Table Lighter.

Some of the items shown here are available at Mandicrafts.

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ADDENDUM: As copied from current USPS site on shipping unstruck matches with sulphur tips attached: Basically, they can be sent via Domestic (within USA) via SURFACE mail only:

10.14.3 Matches

Matches are classified as flammable solids. Strike-anywhere matches are prohibited in international and domestic mail. Safety matches (book, card, or strike-on-box) are prohibited in international mail, and in domestic mail via air transportation, but are permitted in domestic mail via surface transportation if:

a. They do not ignite spontaneously under conditions normally incident to transportation or when subjected for 8 consecutive hours to a temperature of 200°F (93°C).

b. They cannot be readily ignited by friction unless struck on their own or a similar box, card, or book.

c. They are tightly packed in a securely sealed primary receptacle to prevent any shifting or movement that could cause accidental ignition by rubbing against adjoining items. The primary receptacle(s) is placed securely within an outer shipping container made of fiberboard, wood, or other equivalent material. Multiple primary receptacles may be placed in a single outer shipping container. The address side of the mailpiece must be marked “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only” and “Book Matches,” “Strike-on-Card Matches,” or “Card Matches,” as appropriate. A shipping paper is not required.

d. The gross weight of each mailpiece is not more than 25 pounds.