Share your favorites on Show & Tell

GEMINI ashtray, Umeda (Onorato -Milano-, 1970)

In Tobacciana > Ashtrays > Show & Tell.
ho2cultcha's loves20026 of 22708CLAM ashtray, Alan Fletcher (Mebel, 1970)LADY chair and sofa, Marco Zanusso (Arflex, 1951)
13
Love it
0
Like it

VintagefranVintagefran loves this.
ho2cultchaho2cultcha loves this.
Nordicman32Nordicman32 loves this.
inkyinky loves this.
racer4fourracer4four loves this.
mikelv85mikelv85 loves this.
AmberRoseAmberRose loves this.
Virginia.vintageVirginia.vintage loves this.
RadegunderRadegunder loves this.
vetraio50vetraio50 loves this.
SEAN68SEAN68 loves this.
aghcollectaghcollect loves this.
tom61375tom61375 loves this.
See 11 more
Add to collection

    Please create an account, or Log in here

    If you don't have an account, create one here.


    Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate


    Posted 10 years ago

    austrohung…
    (584 items)

    This is one of the ashtrays I treasure not only because of its excellent design but for sentimental reasons. I’ve told sometime before that my father was a doctor and every year, for Christmas, he received lots of presents from both patients and medical labs. And one year he received one like this, only in red and white. That ashtray I loved when a child. I am not sure what happened to it. But most probably someone threw it away, just what happened to half those 60s and 70s wonderful plastic gadgets he used to get. I recall the last time I saw it it was at my elder brother’s bedroom, all burnt and stinking of the awful tobacco he used to smoke at the time (I have to say he’s pretty stingy so he bought the cheapest cigarettes, and they absolutely stank. Nowadays he only smokes whenever anyone lends him a cigarette… I sometimes wonder how is it possible we share the same parents). In any case, when I saw this ashtray for sale I simply HAD to have it. I was lucky it even came in its original box (which I remembered prefectly). Such a pity it didn’t come in the same colours, but orange is sooo nice anyway.

    The GEMINI is a perfect mix between a CLAM (1969, Alan Fletcher) and a COPENHAGHEN (1966, André Ricard), two of the most successful ashtray designs in the late 60s.: it is built the same way of the Clam, with two similar halfs that fit one into the other through its dentures, and has the elevated platform at the center to extinguish the cigarette. Its diameter is 9 cm and it stands 7 cm tall. It’s made of pretty thick melamine, which was undoubedtly THE material at the time (it was sold as the unbreakable plastic… no way, it breaks just the same LOL –I could show the pictures of some melamine items pretty badly broken-).

    On the base of each one of the halfs you can read: © M. Umeda, 1970. Gemini. Made in Italy. Onorato. Milano

    - - - - -

    14 hours later:

    Amber made me remember with her comment i had forgotten to talk more deeply about the box. The next text appears both here and at the comments section:

    " The extra short cardboard tube box I am sure was something pretty cheap, and the hole on the lids was intended to see the colour of the ashtray you were picking up, and as they could come in two colours, both sides had holes. I guess that's also part of the "gemini" project about the ashtray."

    logo
    Ashtrays
    See all
    Wrinkled Camel Pack Ceramic Ashtray
    Wrinkled Camel Pack Ceramic Ashtray...
    $380
    RARE 1970s MCDONALDS GOLDEN ARCHES AMBER GLASS ASHTRAY SIGN RESTAURANT OCTOGON
    RARE 1970s MCDONALDS GOLDEN ARCHES ...
    $61
    Art Deco Nude Ashtray Trinket Dish Frankart Nuart Ronson? c1930-40's Signed
    Art Deco Nude Ashtray Trinket Dish ...
    $100
    Set Of 5 Vintage Cartier Italy Sterling Silver Octagonal Ashtrays Holder No Mono
    Set Of 5 Vintage Cartier Italy Ster...
    $349
    logo
    Wrinkled Camel Pack Ceramic Ashtray
    Wrinkled Camel Pack Ceramic Ashtray...
    $380
    See all

    Comments

    1. SEAN68 SEAN68, 10 years ago
      WOW THESE ARE GREAT!!! , I am a Gemini.
    2. austrohungaro austrohungaro, 10 years ago
      Thanks Phil, agh, Sean and tom for loving!!!My brother, the stingy one, also is a Gemini, but his "condition" doesn't come with his zodiac :)

      Of course the name Gemini comes from the two identical halfs!!!
    3. SEAN68 SEAN68, 10 years ago
      then I guess that's me then!!! your welcome austro!!
    4. Virginia.vintage Virginia.vintage, 10 years ago
      Love the story ;) Love melamina vintage items too, colors are awesome.
      This item has great design.
      Im piscis! ;)
      Thanks for share!
    5. austrohungaro austrohungaro, 10 years ago
      ¡¡¡De nada, Virginia!!! Y muchas gracias :)

      Thanks vet and radegundern for loving it too.
    6. AmberRose AmberRose, 10 years ago
      Love it and love how clever the box is!
    7. austrohungaro austrohungaro, 10 years ago
      Isn't it Amber? :) I am so glad you noticed that, because that's an important part of design too!!! :)

      The extra short cardboard tube box I am sure was something pretty cheap, and the hole on the lids was intended to see the colour of the ashtray you were picking up, and as they could come in two colours, both sides had holes. I guess that's also part of the "gemini" project about the ashtray.

      Thanks so much for your comment and your love!!!


      Also thanks to Racer and Mike!!!
    8. austrohungaro austrohungaro, 10 years ago
      Czechman and inky, thanks so much for loving it!!!

    Want to post a comment?

    Create an account or login in order to post a comment.