Edwardian Cigar Case
When handling an edwardian cigar case, you hold a pocket vessel shaped for the leaf, built to protect tobacco from crush and damp.
Edwardian Cigar Case
An edwardian cigar case is a pocket container designed specifically for individual cheroots or cigars rather than modern cigarettes, often found in curved forms that fit the contour of a waistcoat or jacket. The examples appearing most frequently on this page are sturdy sterling silver sleeves and rigid leather pouches from the early twentieth century.
Many items in this category date from the Edwardian period or the surrounding decades, constructed as single tubes or multi-compartment holders for daily use by gentlemen of the era. Buyers also encounter larger desk boxes and smoker boxes lined for storage alongside the portable pocket pieces.
Materials and Construction
Silversmiths shaped sterling silver through pressing, planishing, and hand engraving, often adding gold gilt linings to protect the metal from tobacco oils. Leather variants combined stiffened hide, frequently crocodile leather, with interior fabric lining and reinforced silver mounts.
Other pieces incorporated organic substances such as amber, carved meerschaum, and oak wood, joined with brass hardware or copper to form desk boxes and cheroot holders.
Assessing Quality and Execution
Quality rests in the crispness of the hand-chased or engraved decoration and the integrity of the hinges and spring mechanisms that keep the case shut. Superior examples maintain a tight closure and retain their original gilding and internal straps without slack.
Maker marks and clear assay office hallmarks add certainty to the metal grade, while deeply carved motifs in meerschaum or precise joints in wooden smoker boxes elevate the piece above plain production items.
A&J Zimmerman·Boardman Glossop and Co·Charles and George Asprey·Henry Williamson·Walker and Hall·Joseph Gloster
The Edwardian Cigar Case Glossary
- Cheroot
- A cylindrical cigar with both ends cut square rather than tapered. It requires a specialised holder or case.
- Planished
- A metal surface beaten with a small-faced hammer to smooth it and leave a subtle, textured finish.
- Vesta case
- A small pocket box fitted with a rough striking surface for lighting matches. These occasionally doubled in design with tobacco cases.
- Humidor
- A moisture-controlled box or tube designed to keep cigars fresh. Pocket versions appeared in early twentieth-century silver.
Edwardian Cigar Case: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clean a silver cigar case?
Use a soft cloth and a gentle silver cream to remove tarnish, avoiding harsh abrasives that wear down engraved lines.
Take care around hinges and internal straps to prevent moisture from getting trapped inside the velvet or leather linings.
Will modern cigars fit these antique cases?
Most Edwardian pocket tubes and multi-compartment cases were sized for narrower historical cigars or slimmer cheroots. Standard modern ring gauges often prove too wide for older rigid silver slots.
Measure the internal diameter of a specific case before attempting to carry contemporary cigars inside it.
How were these cases carried?
Gentlemen slid pocket cases into tailored jacket pockets or waistcoat compartments where the curved metal conformed to the body. Larger multi-tube versions travelled inside luggage or greatcoat pockets.
Desk boxes and smoker boxes remained stationary in clubs, studies, and smoking rooms.
What does silver gilt mean?
Silver gilt refers to sterling silver that has been coated with a thin layer of gold on the interior surfaces. This technique prevented the reactive tobacco oils from tarnishing and discoloring the silver.
It also gave the inside of the case a warm, rich tone when opened.