Edwardian Silver Humidor
These pieces of edwardian silver humidor range from heavy oak boxes with sterling silver mounts to pocket cigar tubes.
Edwardian Silver Humidor
An edwardian silver humidor is typically encountered on this page as a substantial oak box fitted with sterling silver mounts, alongside silverplated tobacco boxes and cigar cases. The forms span cigar boxes, smoking compendiums, and biscuit barrels, often incorporating wooden humidor compartments.
The materials recorded in these listings combine structural timber such as oak with sterling silver, silver plate, gold gilt, quartz, and metal mounts. Pieces emerge from periods including Victorian, 1890, 1900, 1910, and 1920, reflecting Edwardian and 1920s British styles.
Construction and Materials
The construction relies on joining sturdy timbers like oak with applied sterling silver or silverplated mounts, corner braces, and escutcheons. Interior elements often utilise cedar lining to maintain humidity for cigars, alongside metalwork details and gold gilt highlights.
Silversmiths shaped sheet silver and cast mounts before securing them to wooden carcasses with pins or screws. The combination of dense hardwoods and polished silver created durable smoking accessories designed for daily use.
Edwardian Silver Humidor Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for edwardian silver humidor among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Several pieces feature equestrian themes, bringing a touch of the stable straight to the smoking table.
Quality and Distinction
Quality rests upon the weight of the sterling silver mounts and the soundness of the oak or timber carcass. Pieces produced by established makers demonstrate cleaner lines and more substantial metal gauges than anonymous alternatives.
The integration of novelty elements, such as equestrian themes or specialised compartments for cigars, vesta matches, and cigarettes, separates standard utility boxes from exceptional compendiums.
Mappin & Webb·Zimmerman
The Edwardian Silver Humidor Glossary
- Humidor
- A moisture-controlled box designed to keep cigars fresh. These pieces usually feature wooden interiors, frequently cedar, paired with exterior silver or oak.
- Sterling Silver
- An alloy containing ninety-two point five percent silver by mass, with the remainder usually copper. This standard appears frequently across mounts and lids.
- Silver Plate
- A layer of silver applied to a base metal core such as copper or nickel. Several pieces on this page utilise this technique for decorative effect.
- Compendium
- A comprehensive box or cabinet containing multiple fitted accessories. Smoking compendiums house cigars, cigarettes, matches, and sometimes vesta cases together.
- Vesta
- A small pocket box for matches, often matching the design of the larger cigar boxes and humidors in these listings.
Edwardian Silver Humidor: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an edwardian silver humidor?
An edwardian silver humidor is a box designed to store cigars while maintaining proper humidity. These pieces combine wooden bodies with silver mounts.
They serve as both practical smoking accessories and decorative objects for the desk or table.
How were these boxes used?
Owners stored cigars, tobacco, and smoking paraphernalia inside the compartments to keep them organised and fresh. Many examples include dedicated spaces for matches and cutters.
They sat in smoking rooms, libraries, and dining spaces during the Edwardian period and adjacent decades.
How do I live with an edwardian silver humidor?
These boxes function well on sideboards, desks, or coffee tables as display pieces and storage. They require occasional polishing of the silver mounts and gentle cleaning of the wood.
Keeping them out of direct sunlight helps protect the timber and any internal linings.
How do I tell periods apart?
Periods are identified through hallmarks on the silver, construction techniques, and stylistic cues. Edwardian pieces often display distinct early twentieth-century design motifs compared to Victorian examples.
Materials like oak combined with sterling silver or silver plate help narrow down the production era.