What exactly is “tobacciana”? The word tobacciana is not yet detailed in any English language dictionary, but has become popular and synonymous within the collecting world when referring to anything tobacco related. Collectors seek a wide range of historical items, as tobacco, and the industry itself, shaped much of our modern day world – everything from advertising to baseball cards! Below is a short overview of what you can expect to find within our tobacciana category.
Tobacco plants first arrived in North American during the 1600’s via traders arriving from Europe. At this time, one of the only methods of smoking it was by using Native American made pipes. These antique pipes were most often made of wood, clay or bone. A true pipe collector will be lucky enough to posses a pipe made of meerschaum – a beautiful and rare white stone found most often in Turkey. The intricate designs and rarity of meerschaum pipes became quite the status symbols for many during the mid to late 19th century.
Cigars have been widely popular throughout Central and South America for centuries. Collectors therefore seek a variety of items associated with cigar smoking. These include cigar boxes, cigar tins, cigar cutters, humidors and unique or ornate cigar lighters.
In the mid 19th century, cigarettes emerged as the more popular choice for tobacco users. The invention of the cigarette making machine in the 1880’s virtually exploded the tobacco industry in North America through to the mid 20th century, and as a result created a variety of collectibles for many of us today. Tobacco marketing significantly changed the nature of advertising during this time frame through it’s use of tobacco tins, tobacco tubs, matchbooks, signs, ashtrays and even baseball cards!
Cigarette lighters became more popular during the early 1900’s as an alternative to using matches. Antique and vintage lighters, made of everything from gold and silver to stainless steel and plastics, has emerged as it’s own sub-niche of tobacciana. Collectors seek out unique and/or ornate designs, as well as popular brands such as Zippo and Ronson.
Bliffin House specifically collects antique tobacco tins. We are always on the lookout for new tins to add to our collection, or upgrade the quality of existing tins we may already have. We will do our best to keep our Tobacco Tins Wanted page up to date with our personal “wish list”!
Error: Feed has an error or is not valid.