Tobacciana

About Tobacciana

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 1900s, 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).

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Vintage Cigarette Lighter Collector Urban Cummings

At the very beginning, my interest in lighters was about the mechanism. I had my first lighter when I was 14. I sav… [more]

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Cigarette Lighters

Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minutes, for… [more]



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Tobacciana Videos



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Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Match World

Match World

This ambitious site showcases the 20,000-item Rankei Library matchbook collection, owned by the Japan Match Manufac… [read review or visit site]

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Don Wearmouth and his wife showcase the 230 beautiful silk designs that were distributed free with Kensitas cigaret… [read review or visit site]

Matchbox Labels

Matchbox Labels

Jane McDevitt's huge Flickr photoset of matchbox labels, primarily Eastern European, from the 1950s and 60s. These … [read review or visit site]

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising

This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]

Matchbook Museum

Matchbook Museum

James Lileks' gallery of 250 matchbooks from coffee shops, hotels, motels, bars, banks, restaurants and more. Lilek… [read review or visit site]

Non Sports Cards: Tobacco, Gum and Candy

Non Sports Cards: Tobacco, Gum and Candy

Tom Boblitt moderates this extremely deep, collaborative site dedicated to non-sports cards (tobacco, gum and candy… [read review or visit site]

Lamarde

Lamarde

This blog, entirely in Spanish, is an amazingly comprehensive and varied tribute to tobacco and cigarette advertisi… [read review or visit site]


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Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly Tobacciana email

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Lifetime Collection Of Vintage Zippo Lighters & Display$1,350 Ends in 4 hours 1 bid 17 watchers
Vintage Pipe Collection (253 Pipes)$1,000.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 18 watchers
Peterson Sherlock Holmes Classic Pipe Collection 7 Day$900.00 Ends Sunday 17 bids 48 watchers
Jody Davis * Top Of The Line Saint Halo Pipe * Unsmoked$785.00 Ends Sunday 15 bids 67 watchers
$9.99~rare~vintage Stunning 18kt Dunhill Lighter 90.gr$711.00 Ends in 12 hours 33 bids 37 watchers
Extremely Rare 1982 Camel Zippo French Tax Stamp Mint!$689.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 22 watchers
Sixten Ivarsson Large Straight Grain Bent Acorn * Wow!!$686.88 Ends Sunday 10 bids 99 watchers
Rare! Antique Mechanical Cast Iron Bulldog Cigar Cutter$600.00 Ends Sunday 20 bids 51 watchers
English Estate Pipe: Dunhill Christmas 1991 Unsmoked $550.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 30 watchers
Brian Ruthenberg Straight Grain Xl Freehand Caliper$515.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 21 watchers
Vintage 14k Yellow Gold Dunhill Lighter $514.00 Ends in 7 hours 3 bids 10 watchers
Jess Chonowitsch Straight Grain Billiard Pipe * Sweet!$510.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 34 watchers
Poul Ilsted Straight Grain Bent Bulldog Pipe * Unsmoked$485.00 Ends Sunday 21 bids 72 watchers
Orig.mint Zippo Black Crackle Ww2 Lighter W.orig.box In$465.00 Ends Sunday 22 bids 52 watchers
Vintage 25th Anniversary Zippo Lighter$461.99 Ends in 10 hours 10 bids 68 watchers
Huge Vintage Dunhill Silver Petrol Table Lighter$458.90 Ends Sunday 16 bids 36 watchers
New St Dupont Abstractions Black Lacquer L2 Lighter$449.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 3 watchers
Dunhill Root Briar Dr 2 Star Pipe **unsmoked**$449.00 Ends Sunday 18 bids 46 watchers
Camel Zippo Lighter Very Rare Nib Z-593 Butterfly $445.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 33 watchers
Vintage 1888 Old Judge Cigarette Tobacco Poster$405.55 Ends in 12 hours 11 bids 24 watchers
Danish Estate Pipe: Kent Rasmussen 2 Star $403.89 Ends Sunday 9 bids 27 watchers
Italian Estate Pipe: Savinelli Autograph$400.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 22 watchers
5 Ft Tall Wooden Cigar Store Indian Chief Flag Last 1!!$395.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 9 watchers
Dunhill Unique A Solid 9ct Gold 1927 Lighter Rare N/r$391.81 Ends Monday 11 bids 45 watchers
Rare Loewe Oom Paul Pipe Silver Mounts - London 1906$388.77 Ends Sunday 20 bids 59 watchers
Complete 1910 -t218 Mecca/hassan Set ---all Cards!!!!$385.00 Ends in 5 hours 12 bids 23 watchers
Antique Porcelain Enamel White Knight 5c Cigar Sign Nr$365.09 Ends Sunday 21 bids 59 watchers
Lakeshore - Pittsburg Stogies - Rare! Rare!$355.00 Ends Wednesday 13 bids 7 watchers
S.t. Dupont, Fuente Opus X, L2 Red Cigar Lighter New$355.00 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 3 watchers
1995 Dunhill Shell Briar Ht Rg Group 5 Freehand * Mint$350.00 Ends Sunday 19 bids 27 watchers
Vtg - Zippo Lighter Empolyee G.g. Blaisdall Signed 1972$350.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 5 watchers
Jess Chonowitsch Sandblast Brandy W/bamboo * Pristine!$342.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 64 watchers
Wolfgang Becker Tan Blast Dublin W/ Bamboo * Paw Grade$338.33 Ends Sunday 8 bids 26 watchers
Former Blowfish Estate$338.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 30 watchers
1909-11 T206 #nno Ty Cobb Sweet Caporal Back Pro 7 Nm$329.99 Ends Sunday 21 bids 23 watchers
Wood And Bakelite Desktop Figural Pipe Holder$325.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 11 watchers
Scottish Treen Sycamore Burns Tam O' Shanter Snuff Box$314.07 Ends in 6 hours 14 bids 65 watchers
Cartier Lighter$310.00 Ends Monday 12 bids 5 watchers
Zippo 007 James Bond Lighter Set Of 6-new-rare$300.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 6 watchers
Vintage Rare Granger Vertical Pocket Tobacco Tin.$300.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 32 watchers
Stand-up Die-cut Victorian Tobacco Advertising C1898$299.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 2 watchers
Varages Cabinet Humidor D + Digital Humidifier 'new'!$299.95 Ends Sunday 1 bid 2 watchers
Cigarette Box Birks Silver$293.63 Ends in 9 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
Clock Zippo Lighter Case 1937 Replica Rare Vintage L@@k$290.41 Ends in 14 hours 9 bids 21 watchers
Dunhill London A 472 Patent Pipe Chubby 1935$282.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 31 watchers
Fuente Anejo #55 Sealed Box From 2008$280.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 4 watchers
Digital Volcano Vaporizer (w/o Valve Set) Unit Only$275.00 Ends Friday 6 bids 10 watchers
Fuente Anejo #49 Sealed Box From 2008$275.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 3 watchers
Fuente Anejo #48 Sealed Box From 2008$270.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 4 watchers
Tom Eltang & Fprmer Nielsen 2004 Pipe Of Year* Unsmoked$265.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 47 watchers
~ Early ~ Rare Ronson Debonair Enamel Lighter Art Metal$262.00 Ends Thursday 5 bids 20 watchers
Wolfgang Becker Germany A Pipe Horn Insert Pipe $255.00 Ends Sunday 12 bids 62 watchers
English Estate Pipe Charatan Executive Made By Hand 4$255.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 34 watchers
Rare 1887 Victoria Jubilee Vesta Match Safe Silver 6d's$251.56 Ends Monday 11 bids 30 watchers
Jm Boswell Magnum Pipe (custom)$251.50 Ends Wednesday 13 bids 17 watchers
2007 Camel Book Series 5 Zippo Set 100 Sets Made New$250.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 4 watchers
Daniel Marshall Ltd Edition Humidor Series 2004 40of200$250.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 15 watchers
Jim Cooke 2003 Original Sock Mint * Stunning Blast$237.49 Ends Sunday 5 bids 34 watchers

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Recent News: Tobacciana

Source: Google News

In Napa, a new path to using less water
San Francisco Chronicle, March 19th

They're both poised to be prime examples of Napa Valley in a glorious vintage. If there's an asterisk, it's that the gap in quality between the two is...Read more

The Chronicle Recommends: Kosher wines
San Francisco Chronicle, March 19th

This 10th vintage of Sauvignon Blanc offers gooseberry, kiwi and citrus aromas that leap from the glass; fruity with a lively finish that could be a touch...Read more

WTVM.com and WTVM News Leader 9, Columbus, GA | Thunder in the Valley Air Show ...
WTVM, March 19th

Scheduled to appear are: Team Choas Extreme Airshows (Lead Act), Flash Fire Jet Truck, Bearfeat Aerobatics, Gary Ward Airshows, DAV B-25, Vintage Aviation...Read more

Bronze 'tobacco' figurine could bring $50k
Paul Fraser Collectibles, March 18th

Highlights for sale include over 25 vintage tobacco tins - including an extremely rare Shogun vertical pocket tin - estimated at $8000-$12000...Read more

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 To Open to Public
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 18th

This portion will include the new home of Jane’s Carousel, a vintage merry-go-round purchased by developer David Walentas and wife Jane Walentas and...Read more

Wine Bargains of the Loire Valley
New York Times, March 16th

Complex flavors of fruit, tobacco and spice with a dollop of oak. Rich and savory but a bit out of balance. It does little good to wonder why...Read more

Volunteers to scour Martin County for tobacco debris, other litter
Stuart News (subscription), March 16th

Spectators will enjoy live music by area bands as they watch some of the East Coast's top surfers compete astride vintage surfboards...Read more

Make habit history
Dudley News, March 10th

Stephen Howard, assistant curator, displays said: "The museum is hoping to find pipe smoking paraphernalia, cigar boxes, snuff boxes, vintage tobacco tins...Read more

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