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Metalcraft Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

These lamps and airplane ashtrays were made in Canada in the 1940's. I have an Eatons catalog from 1948 with a simple airplane ashtray stand. During the 1950's they became more elaborate with the onyx glass inserts at the bottom. The pieces were interchangable and it was possible to get hundreds of varieties from the parts. The lamp in the middle was a rare 6 foot 5 inch version.

There was also a lamp called the twin light lamp ashtray, which I have included in the 3rd photo. They were made (and sold) with the airplane ashtrays by metalcraft. One is in the third photo. This twin light ashtray was designed with simple chrome base in its infancy stages about 1948 Eaton's catalog. The base in this photo has the most ornate of all the bases ever made of this molded slag glass and the nicest. The nicest slag glass either in Canada or U.S., I always preferred the beauty of the Canadian pieces better. I have had standing airplane ashtrays and tall lamps with the same base.

My mother had a lamp and ashtray stand from this company and I was always in awe of its beauty. I first seen an airplane ashtray stand in 1978 at an auction. In a year I was invited to buy a collection of 21 airplane ashtray stands through a picker. I seemed to buy as many as I could get and put up a lot of them for sale since the mid 1980s. I rewired and rechromed a lot of the ashtrays and at one time had the largest collection in North America.

I always am proud to say the standing airplane ashtray were only made in Canada, although lately they have been offered for sale all around the U.S., mainly as they made their way there, and are hugely popular there. Unfortunately many of the ones from the U.S. have bases that were different than the Canadian ashtray bases and these have been added to the piece. They usually seem out of place as the Canadian ones were nicer, although in the U.S. the simple ashtray bases became more art deco looking, so people sometimes think they were made in the 1930's. There are so many varieties and several companies in Toronto, Canada were selling these in the day, along with a connection from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As always the condition is important when trying to guage price.