Silver Table Cigarette Box
A silver table cigarette box keeps your desk or smoking table tidy while bringing substantial metalwork into daily use.
Silver Table Cigarette Box
A silver table cigarette box is a desktop container designed to hold cigarettes or cigars for entertaining guests in a study or drawing room.
The versions you meet on this page span from the Victorian era through the Art Deco period into the mid twentieth century.
Makers produced these pieces in forms ranging from plain rectangular caskets to large smoking compendiums and novelty carriage shapes.
Judging quality and craftsmanship
The distinction between standard examples and top tier pieces rests on the weight of the metal and the presence of notable makers like Mappin and Webb or Adie Brothers.
Silver Table Cigarette Box Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for silver table cigarette box 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.
One exceptional Victorian smoking compendium takes the delightful shape of a fire carriage.
Mappin and Webb·Adie Brothers·Jane Brownett Alexander Jones·J H Peck Wigan
The Silver Table Cigarette Box Glossary
- Sterling silver
- An alloy comprising ninety-two point five percent silver by mass, with the remainder consisting of copper or other metals. This standard grade applies to the vast majority of British boxes on this page.
- Shagreen
- Undyed skin from sharks or rays with a granular texture. Makers utilised this material on modernist Art Deco boxes and lighters.
- Engine turned
- A geometric pattern of fine lines engraved mechanically into the silver lid. This technique adds texture and hides minor surface wear.
- Smoking compendium
- A larger tabletop smoking set combining a cigarette box, cigar storage and a lighter or match holder in one object.
Silver Table Cigarette Box: Frequently Asked Questions
What fits inside a silver table cigarette box?
These containers were originally built to hold loose cigarettes or cigars for guests in a reception room.
Today they function equally well on a desk or dressing table for storing modern items like business cards or trinkets.
How do I clean a silver table cigarette box?
Maintenance requires a soft cloth and a reputable silver polish to remove tarnish from the exterior metal surfaces.
Care must be taken around wooden interiors and shagreen panels to avoid moisture damage during cleaning.
Are these boxes lined with wood?
Many examples feature internal wooden linings that help preserve the aroma and moisture of the tobacco once stored inside.
Solid silver lids lift away or hinge open to reveal these fitted wooden compartments.
How do I date a silver cigarette box?
Hallmarks stamped into the metal provide the specific assay office, maker and year of manufacture for English pieces.
Stylistic cues such as geometric Art Deco lines or ornate Victorian floral scrolls also point towards a particular era.