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Collectors Weekly

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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Clubs & Associations: Tobacciana

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Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 405 by  highest bid • most watched • completed
Vintage Zippo Lighter 1940s 3 Barrel 14 Hole W/boxAntique 19thc Victorian Solid Silver & Enamel Erotic Cigarette Case C.1894S.t. Dupont Versailles Limited Edition L 2 Lighter, NibDunhill Lighter "giant" Size Aquarium Lighter By Shillinford S. Bang A Ph Pipe Unsmoked Estate Rare Vintage 1940's ? Dunhill Silent Flame Superman Table-top Lighter &An Antique Russian Imperial Silver Wooden Tobacco Desk Box (very Large Box) NrS.bang (denmark) - Straight Smooth Pot - Signature Grade - Top Of The LineDunhill Xl Dr * Pipe Massive Straight Grain 1937 - 40 Zippo Lighter Buick Auto Metallique 2 Sided Metallique Rare Very Nice New Unsmoked! Jake Hackert Nosewarmer Thick Billiard American Estate Pipe W/ BagAward Winning 8 1/8" Long Gbd Unique Straight Grain Lovat--very Rare & Pristine!19thc Antique Bohemian Gilt Enameled Cut Red Glass Hookah Pipe Islamic ArabicNew 1940s Zippo Lighter Dodge Auto Ad Rare With Banner Mint In Box JCartier Lighter Tiger ClawRare Slim Zippos Hertz Renta Car Lighters Wolfgang Becker Double Wolf Paw Wasp Pipe Dunhill Dead Root ( Dr) - Two Stars - Straight Grain BilliardVolcano Vaporizer Classic In BoxPeter Hedegaard Cc Pipe Unsmoked Hitman Glass Oil Vaporizer With Titanium Nail And DomeRare Ramsden & Roen Solid Gold Cigar Cutter Hallmarked For London.21.5 Grammes.1930s Zippo Lighter Reverse Etched And Pantograph Don Ramon Partagas 150 Signature Series Cigar Box/humidor W/ 2 CigarsTeddy Knudsen Pipe Pair Fine Antique Italian Silver Vermeil And Enameled Cigarette Lighter And CaseCharatan Supreme S 100 Lane Era Pipe Castello Collection Fiammata K Pipe Hitman Glass (50mm) Sidecar Hammerhead Direct Injection Vapor RigAustrian Estate Pipe: Peter Matzhold OeDunhill Lighter Rollalite 14k Gold Outer Jacket Art Deco Vintage Lighter Works! Northern Briars - Ian Walker - Regal - Rox Cut Huge Billiard - Handmade UnsmokedGorgeous! Lane Era Charatan's Make Selected Xl Freehand English Estate Pipe Mint1980s Golden Elegance Mickey Mouse Brass Zippo W Box Original Price Sticker JVintage- Mint In Red Box - Zippo - Pepsi Cola Advertising Lighter Vintage Zippo Lighter Display Case With 36 Vintage Zippo'sS.yanik Meerschaum Pipe Bone Hand Holding SkullDunhill Oda 836 Panel 1961 - Near Mint Condition.Solid Brass Dragon Ashtray Stand-scroll Art Co. Vintage 9k Gold Vesta Match Safe Case Art Nouveau FlowersAntique Brass Fighting Devil Figure Satan Toothpick Match Safe Holder GoblinSolid 9ct Gold Edwardian Asprey Lighter MatchViaje Zombie's...... Not Padron,tatuaje,opus X,Ronson Touch Tip Cigarette Lighter And Gorgeous Deco Clock CombinationNorthern Briars - Ian Walker - Huge Lb Regal Handmade - Unsmoked Mint ConditionDunhill Shell Xl Collector Pipe Unsmoked 1998Fresh Choice Electric Make Your Own Cigarette Making MachineZippo Titanium LighterUnusual Solid Silver Oval Vesta Case With Enameled Plaque Of Soldier London 1898Barling Special, Ye Olde Wood Estate PipeRainer Barbi Aa Pipe Michael Butera "textured Classic" A Grade Large Bent Lovat Pipe - PipestudS.t. Dupont Gatsby Gold Plate Mirror Finish / Authentic Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Bean Sterling Silver Lighter Engravable #1307-fCastello Collection Kkkk Briar Pipe New Pipe Pipa Nuova Rare Silver Enamel Cigarette Case /beautiful Noble Lady Or GentlewomanVery Rare Missing Deuce On A 1942 Patent , 4 Barrel, From Ww11. Insert Is GreatArdor "urano Roccia" Giant Apple - (estate Pipe)Rare Pipe Collection Machine Age, Art Deco (stream Liner, Ronson,mellopure)Lighter Dupont Line 1 (big) Limited Edition French Revolution 1989 Mosaic

Recent News: Tobacciana

Source: Google News

State House Notebook: Republicans try to debunk Medicaid savings claim
Press Herald, May 19th

Proponents of the bill cite a 15-year-old investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that found gun shows were responsible for 26,000 illegally sold guns. The Northeast was responsible for 8 percent of those gun sales. The...Read more

Editor's Journal: A Weekend in Pictures
CaryCitizen, May 19th

CenterStage. Friday evening was perfect for CenterStage, a collaboration between WUNC's Back Porch Music and the American Tobacco Historic District in Downtown Durham. A large and enthusiastic crowd turned out for the first show More than 100 cars...Read more

Blue Ridge high: The pleasures of Roanoke beckon
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, May 18th

A vintage safety sign at Black Dog Salvage expresses the Roanoke mood toward visitors. The dramatic ceiling of the Market Square Walkway, which crosses the Norfolk A hub along the long and bumpy Great Wagon Road that brought 18th-century settlers...Read more

SD fruit company
Black Hills Pioneer, May 17th

At one point, a tobacco company used the building, and there were likely other occupants in the warehouse through the 1960s. second level, two 34' diameter holes cut into the second level floor which in the past housed tubular ice cauldrons...Read more

A lesson learned from the averted LCBO strike
Canada.com, May 17th

Their love story goes from “womb to tomb, birth to earth,” from plum to prune, vintage warmth to cool earthy flavour. This one tingles in the nose and Bright berries give way to classic Bordeaux-like aromas of tobacco, tea and licorice. 91...Read more

Flagler students mentor Youth Services residents
Historic City News, May 16th

To date, Soapy Tales has made profits of over $3,500 and their products are sold in 15 stores throughout St Augustine including the Amiro Art Gallery, Rochelle's, Flagler's Legacy, Sphere, Red Pineapple, Vintage Clothing Co, St Augustine Tobacco Co and...Read more

Vintage businesses keep regulars coming back
Wicked Local, May 16th

At Brookline News & Gift, customers mainly come in for the variety of tobacco offerings, located at the front of the store. But the back of the gift shop is full of a staggering variety of items, from vintage greeting cards and tin toys, to board game...Read more

Signs of tobacco smoke still found in non-smoking rooms
CBS News, May 14th

Blowing smoke: Vintage ads of doctors endorsing tobacco · Play Video. FDA reassessing cigarette warning labels. "(Nicotine residues and other chemical traces) don't stay in the smoking rooms," study author Georg Matt, a psychologist from San Diego...Read more