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As smoking becomes more and more
unacceptable, we might be tempted to throw
away disused cigarette cases, and all the other paraphernalia associated
with smoking. Far better to put them in a clearly-labelled box and leave
them to gain in value, for the benefit of the grandchildren.
In the course of time, there may
even be a difference in price between the
early (1890-1913) cases, which were small, before the coming of filter-tips,
and the post-1914 larger cases.
Nothing but the
melt-down value
Meanwhile, though, the news is
not good. The silver case that someone gave
father or grandfather for a 21st birthday present is rarely worth more than
£20, or something like its ‘melt-down value’ - ie the going prize per ounce
of the silver. One dealer advised: ‘better to use the case to carry your
business cards or your pills, dear.’
Exceptional cases?
The enamelled ones, where the metal has been fancied-up with a bright
pattern or a picture. A case with a stark geometrical design in those
oh-so-20s colours of orange and black and yellow might be £300-£400 to a
collector of Art Deco.
Pictures that
tell a different story
Cases with pictures on them can
be valuable, though it depends on the picture.
If grandfather was a motoring enthusiast and had an enamelled case depicting
a car, now of vintage variety, it’s worth could be upwards of £450 - that
was the price of one model sold at Christie’s three years ago.
And if he was, as grandma might
have said, ‘a bit of a lady’s man’ ... his
cigarette case might pay off as mild erotica, but only if its design carried
a racy pin-up of the 1920s. One sold at at Phillips recently for £750.
Values are still higher if an
unclothed lady hides inside a plain outer case:
I’ve seen examples selling for £1,000 to £3,000 depending on the quality of
the enamelling (it mustn’t be chipped) and the, er, degree of nudity.
Always give an old silver case a
careful clean if it’s highly engraved or embossed and look for a
hallmark. If the mark seems to be in a foreign alphabet, take it to be
checked by a jeweller: it may be Russian, brought here by post-Revolution
refugees and now desirable as a piece of history.
Previous editions:
Family Treasures - 1
Family Treasures - 2
Family Treasures - 3
Family Treasures - 4
Family Treasures - 5
Family Treasures - 6
Family Treasures - 7
Family Treasures - 8
For subsequent editions - see the laterlife
interest index
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