Unusual silver-plated hip flask & cigar holder

Unusual silver-plated hip flask & cigar holder

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This is an unusual and rather rare Victorian silver-plated hip flask and cigar case combination featuring a gilded or vermeil interior to the cigar compartment. The one-twist, bayonet fitting lid is nicely secure. An excellent accessory for all occasions!

Although the function of a silver cigar or cigarette case is to keep the fragile tubes of tobacco from being crushed, smoking cigars has never been a purely utilitarian pursuit. It has long been associated with style and fashion, and since silver was the lightest, strongest and smartest material to craft, silver cigar and cigarette cases quickly became highly decorative personal accessories.  Originally made in leather, using silver or silver-plate gave designers the opportunity to emboss and chase the silver to create everything from delicate floral or geometric patterns to bold designs and personalised engraving of names or initials.  Since smoking was mostly perceived as a masculine pursuit, the majority of silver cigar cases reflect more masculine styling.  The interiors of better cases are gilded, sometimes bearing a tender or congratulatory inscription.

Dimensions:

Height 34 mm / 1 "
Width 165 mm / 6 34"
Depth 77 mm / 3 14"
Year

c1890

Place

Sheffield

Condition

Excellent

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