Vintage Cigarette Dispenser - Golden Thread Antiques

Vintage Egyptian Sarcophagus Cigarette Dispenser

Date: 1940's - 1950's
Size: 2 3/8" high, 3 1/2" wide at the base and 2 1/4" deep at the base
Description: This interesting vintage item of smoking paraphernalia, a cigarette dispenser, is made in the form of a sarcophagus. These kinds of objects of this time period, the 1940's - 50's, tended toward the humorous to the absurd, with the sense of humor often being dark, morbid or obscene. This piece, with the obvious dark humor, is actually very tasteful and aesthetically done, with classical Egyptian motifs of griffins, winged lions, floral roundels and meandering foliage. The piece is made of coated metal appearing to be copper and brass. The hinged lid opens to reveal a slanted bottomed chamber with a width to accommodate unfiltered or hand-rolled cigarettes. There is a small knobbed lever on the lower right front which flips open a horizontal flap to dispense the cigarette., which is then caught by two protruding curved pegs. The piece was made in Japan and has a makers mark, which is an M enclosed in a diamond, four Japanese characters and the No. 151158. The box has a very nice heavy weight to it, and it has a nice old patina, worn naturally where the object has been handled over years of use. It is in excellent condition, and only has one small spot on the bottom where the painted coating has peeled away on the flat surface, which appears to have been differently done than the outer surface.

Item #da11
$95