You can find for sale in the UK on Richard Gardner Antiques website or in his Emsworth showroom a selection of antique cigar boxes and humidors, ususally in the finest woods and materials, such as shagreen and ivory, and by the finest makers, such as Dunhill, Asprey’s and Callows. I have also had bronze examples and boxes that have been made to look like the cigar boxes that the cigars came in.

Some of the humidors, especially those by Dunhills are of a very large size and could well have been used in hotels and restaurants where the turnover of cigards would have been much greater and several examples have passed through my hands over the years.

There is also a selection of cigarette boxes, usually in silver and dating from the Edwardian and Victorian period, many of which are now used as trinket boxes for the dressing table. I also have for sale in the Japanese section of the website, some antique silver cigarette cases, inlaid with copper, gold and silver.

I will also try to have a number of antique cigar cases, which can be used to carry two or three cigars with you when going out for the evening. These are normally found in leather, which is sometimes made to look like crocodile skin, as well as real crocodile skin examples, usually with silver mounts. You can also find silver examples, with some superb examples by makers such as Nathaniel Mills.

Many antique smoking items are made into novelty formats, such as amodel stagecoach smokers compendium or the silver plated train and carriages, with space inthe boiler of the engine for cigars.

The antique cigar boxes, humidors and carrying cases are still used today and make ideal Christmas and birthday presents for anybody that smokes cigars.