Tobacco became popular in Europe in the 1600's, after traders brought back tobacco plants from the Americas. Pipes, borrowed from the Native Americans, were the first popular method of smoking, and were made of wood, bone, clay, and even metal. Some of the most valuable antique pipes are those made of meerschaum, a rare white stone.
Cigars, which have long been popular in Central and South America, have a whole set of collectibles associated with them, including cigar boxes, humidors, cigar cutters, and special cigar lighters.
Next came the cigarette, popularized during the Crimean war when soldiers would roll their pipe tobacco in newsprint. Related collectibles include tobacco tins, tobacco cards, ashtrays, matchbooks, and vintage advertising and signs. Over the years, tobacco companies created iconic logos like Zig-Zag's Zouave and The Camel (later Joe Camel), and put their slogans on everything from clothing to posters to statuettes.
Cigarette lighters are a category all their own, with major brands including Zippo, Ronson, and Dunhill. There's a wide variety of lighters to collect in every material imaginable. Although lighters haven't changed much from their original designs in the early 1900's, the older the lighter, the more decorated they tend to be. And don't forget the lighter's precursor, the lowly but often highly ornamented match holder (aka match safe).
Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minute… [more]
This ambitious site showcases the 20,000-item Rankei Library matchbook collection, owned by the Japan Match Manufac… [more]
Don Wearmouth and his wife showcase the 230 beautiful silk designs that were distributed free with Kensitas cigaret… [more]
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [more]
Jane McDevitt's huge Flickr photoset of matchbox labels, primarily Eastern European, from the 1950s and 60s. These … [more]
This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [more]
James Lileks' gallery of 250 matchbooks from coffee shops, hotels, motels, bars, banks, restaurants and more. Lilek… [more]
Puff on this... over 1,000 cigar bands from the 1890s through 1920s, organized into themed galleries such as Portra… [more]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Are we missing one? Tell us.
Indianapolis Star, United States -
A full-bodied vintage, it tastes of cherry, currant, cedar, oak and tobacco. Break it out to accompany a classic Hoosier pork tenderloin or a sausage pizza. ...
Auction Central News, NY -
Tobacco pocket tins include a crossover favorite: the Taxi Crimp Cut tin, which could fetch $3500-$5000. The Winter event includes 150 mechanical banks, ...
Columbia Daily Tribune, MO -
"These guys made a great wine in what was a bad vintage in Italy: 90-point caliber Brunello di Montalcino for under 20 bones. Provides all the classic ...
Brantford Expositor, Canada -
There were also some bird cards, which were put out as collectibles by the Imperial Tobacco Company and, apparently, were much sought after by the teenage ...
Antiques and the Arts Online, CT -
Lots of tobacco tins, boxes, packs, cartons, giveaways (cigar, chewing, smoking). Virtually everything else that you might find in a vintage 1920s/1930s ...
Antiques and the Arts Online, CT -
... BASEBALL CARDS INCL 4 1956 ROBERTO CLEMENTE, MANY COLOR NATURALIST PRINTS, VINTAGE CHRISTMAS BALLS & ACCESSORIES, TOBACCO FELTS, WORLDS FAIR ITEMS, ...
Cigar Aficionado -
(There are rare exceptions, such as the Davidoff Vintage cigar, which is made with tobacco from one harvest year.) The very best cigar companies have ...
NetworkWorld.com, MA -
Dominating Vazir Sultan Tobacco's boardroom is an original print of the erstwhile Nizam of Hyderabad inaugurating the company's formation in 1930. ...
San Francisco Chronicle, USA -
The 2005 vintage, which comprised the bulk of our tasting, is exceptional - consistent in quality, ripe and concentrated without over-the-top levels of ...
Greensboro News Record, NC -
Lorelei was restored in a large warehouse up East Market, where the sweet smell of tobacco from Lorillard often hangs in the air. Lowell and his employees ...