Silver Cigar Lighter
These silver cigar lighter pieces bring period smoking rooms to life, offering tabletop utility cast into animal, lamp and architectural forms.
What They Are
A silver cigar lighter sits upon a desk or smoking table, ready to light cigars with a wick and flame. The examples met on this page span the Victorian, Edwardian and later periods up to the mid-twentieth century.
Novelty forms dominate the selection, translating ordinary smoking accessories into striking figural sculptures such as hunting horns, swans, frogs, canoes, books, lighthouses and classical oil lamps like Aladdin's designs.
Makers produced these functional ornaments in sterling silver, silver plate, and nickel silver, often incorporating fabric wicks, horn or green glass alongside metal bodies.
How They Were Made
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver or silver plate over base metals, shaping vessels by hand and casting figural elements in detailed moulds. Many pieces incorporate specialised internal components such as fabric wicks paired with oil or spirit reservoirs.
Makers added organic textures using horn, glass and fabric elements to contrast against the polished silver surfaces of animals and classical revival vessels.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for silver cigar lighter, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
Listings feature Victorian and Edwardian sterling silver table lighters shaped as hunting horns, oil lamps and animal novelties.
What Varies in Quality
The degree of sculptural detail defines the upper tier of these objects, separating mass-produced vessels from sharp castings of hunting horns, birds and mythical beasts. Crisp hallmarks and firm joints indicate superior workshop origin.
Weight and material density distinguish solid sterling silver constructions from silver-plated counterparts, while the preservation of original fabric wicks and glass inserts alters desirability.
Joseph Braham·William Comyns·Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co·Gorham·Collingwood & Co·John Wilmin Figg·Elkington·Dunhill
The Silver Cigar Lighter Glossary
- Sterling silver
- A silver alloy containing 92.5 percent pure silver by mass, standard for quality British table wares and smoking accessories.
- Silver plate
- A base metal substrate coated with a thin layer of silver, offering the appearance of solid silver at a different scale of production.
- Novelty lighter
- An object shaped into an amusing or pictorial form, such as an animal, a book or a lamp, rather than a standard geometric vessel.
- Table lighter
- A larger lighter intended to remain stationary on a desk or smoking table rather than fit into a pocket.
- Hallmark
- An official stamp applied by an assay office to indicate the metal purity, maker and year of manufacture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did a silver cigar lighter work?
These table pieces held a spirit or oil reservoir with a protruding fabric wick that produced a steady flame when ignited.
Gentlemen used them in smoking rooms and libraries to light large cigars before matches became common or preferred.
Were these lighters used on dining tables?
They belonged primarily to gentlemen's studies, smoking rooms, and drawing room tabletops where cigars were offered after meals.
Their heavy construction kept them stable on furniture surfaces during use.
Why are so many shaped like animals?
Victorian and Edwardian makers favoured whimsy, turning functional objects into conversation pieces for the smoking room.
Hunting horns, frogs, swans and snakes allowed silversmiths to display sculptural skill alongside utility.
How do I identify the date of a piece?
Assay office hallmarks stamped onto the metal surface provide the exact year of manufacture and the silversmith's mark.
Style indicators like Edwardian neoclassical revival or Victorian novelty design also point to the era of creation.