Vintage Patterned Cigar/Cigarette Box

RESERVED

Sadly, I can't, for the life of me, find an equal to this handsome little box. It lacks any hints as to the origin - no maker's mark, country of manufacture - nothing. All we can do is try to equate the build quality with something similar. Alas, there is very little to go on...
What I know is, it is a beautiful little box. It was made for hand-rolled cigars or cigarettes to be stored in one's pocket. The first portable cases for cigarettes, however, were made in the 18th century. Many were wooden, but they were exceedingly simple and almost never portable. The majority of high-end cases were made of silver and lesser metals - materials that would survive a trip in the owner's pocket in a rough and tumble world. Eventually, wooden boxes of cedar were used to keep freshness, but again, the wooden boxes were not portable. Wooden boxes such as this one, with admirable inlay and details along the 'spine' were reintroduced to the public in the 19-teens, when smoking was immensely popular and people of varying financial means needed to carry their smokes with them. We can see the Art Deco-inspired design and the admirable craftsmanship of the box. When trying to find its equal, I was glad to see these design cues during the roaring 20s found in various, handmade, wooden boxes.
The box is in fair condition - since this was made of various types of wood, had this been exposed to decent levels of moisture, the wood would start to come apart. This is evident along the 'spine' of the box, as well as the slider, on the top (it works perfectly, it just does not seal airtight). The box is not airtight, nor do I believe it was designed to be. This would have been packed in the morning and accompany the owner for the day. There was no need to keep freshness, as it was only a temporary storage container. The tobacco product would be held in its own airtight container, at home.
This piece is exceedingly rare - in fact, I have yet to find anything even close to this design.
Although there is some wood separation happening, along the spine of the piece, it is still very solid and quite useable. The slider fits and slides perfectly and the piece is clean and ready to move to a new home. It measures 9.5cm in width, 8.7cm, tall and 2cm thick.

As always, should you have any questions or comments, I'm happy to respond to messages almost immediately.

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