Smoking collectables are the objects associated with the use, storage and enjoyment of tobacco, collected today for their craftsmanship, design and social history. The field includes pipes and pipe racks, tobacco jars, snuff boxes, cigar and cigarette boxes, humidors, cigarette cases, match holders, vesta cases, ashtrays, lighters and smoker's companion sets.
The golden age of these wares ran from the late eighteenth century to the mid twentieth, as snuff-taking gave way to pipes, cigars and finally cigarettes. Victorian country houses often had a dedicated smoking room, furnished with leather chairs, smoker's cabinets and novelty accessories, while the Art Deco period produced elegant silver, enamel and chrome cigarette boxes and table lighters. Materials range from carved meerschaum and briar to silver, brass, treen, porcelain and bakelite, and names such as Dunhill are especially well regarded. Buyers look for hallmarks, maker's names, original linings and working mechanisms, and should check for cracks in pipe bowls and wear to enamel. Many pieces now serve new purposes, a humidor or cigar box making a handsome container for a desk or drinks tray.
