Table Cigarette Box
These table cigarette box designs are substantial smoking accessories made to sit on a desk or reception surface, offering a handsome way to store cigars and cigarettes.
Table Cigarette Box
When you search for a table cigarette box, you are looking at substantial lidded containers designed specifically to hold smoking requisites within domestic and club settings. These range from rectangular receptacles to larger smoking compendiums and novelty carriage forms.
The versions you are most likely to meet on this page span the Victorian era through to the mid-twentieth century, including distinct Art Deco interpretations. Materials include sterling silver, solid silver, wood, shagreen, yellow gold, and cut glass.
Makers such as Mappin & Webb, Jane Brownett, and Alexander Jones appear among the British and continental examples. Object types often overlap with cigar boxes, trinket boxes, and general smoking accessories.
How they were made
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver and solid silver sheets, hammering, stamping, and constructing rigid metal bodies to house delicate interior linings. Wood and shagreen served as primary structural or decorative outer coverings for boxes dating to the interwar decades.
Cut glass formed heavy walled bodies for compendium pieces, mounted with silver rims, hinges, and figural components. Yellow gold appeared in select luxury items, whilst Birmingham and London assay offices applied hallmarks directly to the precious metal.
Table Cigarette Box Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for 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.
Listings span the Victorian era, 1900, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 periods.
What varies in quality
The distinction between standard containers and exceptional pieces rests upon the weight of the metal and the precision of the joinery. Heavier gauge silver and substantial internal timber or cedar linings separate top tier production from lighter domestic wares.
Design ambition also divides the range, distinguishing simple geometric boxes from sculptural novelties and signed works by major retailers like Cartier and Mappin & Webb. The crispness of hallmarks and the integrity of specialised surfaces such as shagreen determine the standing of each piece.
Mappin And Webb·Jane Brownett·Alexander Jones·Cartier London
The Table Cigarette Box Glossary
- Sterling silver
- An alloy containing 92.5 percent silver by mass, forming the primary metal standard for British table boxes.
- Shagreen
- A type of untanned leather with a granular surface, historically prepared from shark or ray skin and utilised during the Art Deco period.
- Smoking compendium
- A multi-piece smoking set or fitted box containing receptacles for matches, ash, and tobacco products.
- Hallmark
- An official stamp applied by an assay office to precious metals, indicating the standard of purity, origin, and year of testing.
- Neo-Rococo
- A nineteenth-century revival style characterised by ornate, asymmetrical scrollwork and naturalistic floral motifs.
Table Cigarette Box: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a table cigarette box?
A table cigarette box is a lidded container created to hold cigarettes or cigars on a desk, dining table, or smoking room surface. They were manufactured in various sizes to sit permanently in domestic interiors.
Materials range from solid sterling silver to shagreen, glass, and gold, reflecting the wealth and taste of the original owner.
How do I date a silver cigarette box?
Dating relies primarily upon the hallmarks stamped into the metal by official assay offices in cities like London and Birmingham. These marks indicate the specific year letter and maker's stamp.
Stylistic indicators, such as Victorian scrollwork or Art Deco geometric lines, provide a secondary method for determining the period.
Were these boxes used for cigars too?
Many larger boxes served a dual purpose for both cigarettes and cigars, depending on the internal capacity and removable dividers. Cigar boxes tend to be deeper and longer to accommodate larger tobacco rolls.
Compendium versions often combined compartments for matches and lighters alongside the main storage area.
How do I care for shagreen and silver?
Silver surfaces require gentle cleaning with a specialised cloth to remove tarnish without wearing down the hallmarks or fine engraving. Avoid harsh chemical dips that can damage internal wood or fabric linings.
Shagreen needs to be kept away from excessive moisture and direct heat to prevent the textured surface from drying out or warping.