SMOKING ...

One of my favourite items appears below.. During the late 1920's early 1930's a revival of the classical form was in full swing .....

This beautifully crafted cigarette box has featured on the lid a knight slaying a lion... reminiscent of George and the Dragon.... available In pink and black or white and black...

This box was made by ELO in England. I also have a few other boxes depicting Greco/Roman scenes. All highly detailed and quite rare ...

Above appears another nice box from my collection, 1930/40's brown Bakelite.. note the typical Deco styling on the lid...

Above we have one of the classics of cigarette dispensers, THE ROLINX ... made in the 1950's, this ingenious dispenser produced cigarettes from within it's depths when the rolltop was pushed back !!( on display in the Science Museum - London ) The company still exists to this day in the Manchester area ...Below is an extract from the Obituary of Mr Maurice H Robin, inventor of the above box and many other items. ( This appears with thanks by kind permission of his daughter Holly Robin ):

Maurice H Robin 1912 - 1982

Maurice Robin was regarded as one of the post war pioneers of the injection moulding industry. Born in 1912, the youngest of three sons, to an inventive father who owned and managed, almost paternally a gas mantle factory in South London.

Maurice gained an early delight in the industrial environment during weekend visits to the factory. Maurice took a civil engineering degree at London University, but turned his back on that discipline. Instead he was drawn to using his talent for devising simple ways of overcoming problems.

His wartime career included distributing American machine tools within the munitions area of England's needs. Many aircraft assembly line workers had reason to thank him for a lighter faster pop riveter which was subsequently made in cottage production in the Robin garage !!

After the war, on a shopping expedition to buy birthday gifts, he was dismayed to find that the only pencil boxes apparently obtainable had wooden lids that either stuck or broke. Quite soon the inventor in him had devised an extruded plastic shutter which solved the problem. This was followed by the purchase of an extruder and injection moulding machine on which to mould pencil and other boxes. These boxes used the new shutter links from which the company Rolinx took it's name.

In the late fifties and early sixties, hard work brought many achievements, most notable amongst which were the moulded acrylic TV implosion guards, developed despite total failure by the rest of the European moulding fraternity. These successes persuaded the Rover Car Company to accept Robin and Rolinx as their injection moulding advisors.

During 1960 Maurice had built and equipped a 30,000 ft factory for Rolinx, from which many thousands of acrylic rooflights were shipped to mainland Europe. By now the organisation was twenty times larger and ICI recognized the technical leadership of Rolinx and took a financial interest in the company during 1965 and 1973. Rolinx were given their largest challenge to date the Topper Sailing Dinghy - certainly the largest injection moulded product in the world at that time.

Maurice retired in 1975 and despite severe illness, he was able to see the Topper Dinghy launched in 1976 and gain the Horner's Award in 1978.
Maurice Robin, essentially a people's person, earned friendship,respect and loyalty from those who knew and worked with him.

His life will be remembered with gratitude by his family and all who were befriended by him ......

Below, a small Deco Black/White cigarette box, with windmill motif 1930's...

Probably dating from the 1930/40's this nice cigarette box below displays typical styling of the time

Below appears The Jet ashtray, made in Chicago 1930/40's, displays nice Deco design..

Items in this section:

Rolinx cigarette dispenser ( illustrated )

Large wheel shaped tobacco container, screw top by BEX, in brown bakelite 1930/40's

Green Cigarette dispenser box ' The Magic Casket ' 1930's typical Deco design - bakelite

Small Stadium multi coloured ashtray with rest, 1930/40's

Black/white acrylic cigarette case - Gents 1940's

Parker Wunup cigarette case, brown bakelite - spring loaded , see photo on this page.

Cigarette holder, amber coloured phenolic

Boxed cigar holder, phenolic? - amber, red with a silver mounted rim

Small opaque cigarette case, ladies - celluloid, faint emboss, 1920/30's illustrated below

Ladies thin cigarette holder, boxed - possibly pure amber

Smokers Friend, revolving half moon box, mottled brown bakelite by Linsden (1) 1920's, see picture below

Cigarettes ' bomb ' shaped case, three legs - brown bakelite 1930's

State Express cigarette box - Classic Grecian figures on lid
1930's black and white bakelite/urea ( illustrated on this page )

Ardath cigarette box - Deco ( rare )1930's depicting a Galleon on the lid in black and white bakelite/urea

Cigarette box, 'Assyrian warrior slaying lion'- illustrated,1930's by Plessey - ELO ware

Round ashtray, Courtaulds emblem, brown bakelite 1940'50s

Small round flecked red/brown ashtray 1940's

The Wunup Baccyflap Disc, 1940's brown bakelite ( see illustrated above )

Vogue 'Selcol' ashtray - ' Oh what a beautiful evenin' ' drunk leaning on a lamp post 1930's Bakelite, see top of this page

Yellow celluloid and metal cigarette case 1920/30's

Celluloid ' Tortoisehell' cigarette case 1920/30's

Pink and white swirl cigarette box by BEX mouldings 1940's in urea

Tobacco Casket, typical Deco design, Green, by the British Buttner Pipe Co Ltd, 1930's

Smokers Friend by Linsdenware 1920's, revolving box - (2) see picture below

'Cigarettes' embossed box, ( illustrated ), brown bakelite 1940's

Ashtray, embossed AISA Bournemouth, 1887 - 1947 Brown bakelite

Shell shaped ashtray, fluted brown bakelite, 1930/40's

Green bakelite cigarette box, Deco styling 1930/40's

Small square ashtray. The JET, black bakelite from USA, typical Deco design, 1930/40's, illustrated on this page

VELOS nonsmoker barrel ashtray, 1940's brown bakelite

Large ashtray, black, the Master Tray by DAKAWARE, Chicago USA, 1940's

Large deep Deco tobacco box, nice design 1930's brown

Circular round pipe holder ( 6 pipes ) brown bakelite 1940's

Car ashtray by Wilmot Breeden Ltd Birmingham, 1940/50's brown mottled bakelite

Red Tobacco barrel - designed and produced by Newton Heath Technical College student in Manchester, 1940/50's, Bakelite.

Deco geometrical pattern design cigarette box, 1930's Brown.

Kleeware cigarette box, 1930's cream urea, Deco lines with floral transfers.

Round deep 2pc ashtray, brown bakelite.

Musical cigarette dispenser 1950's by Selcol. Doors open to display revolving lady dancer when in operation. Perfect working order. See picture on this page

Small Deco Black/White cigarette box, with windmill motif 1930's, see photo above.

Two unused as new 1940's brown Bakelite ashtrays, probably pub issue, Ashmaster offset, Wearwell mouldings... found on a local flea market, 10p for the two !!!!!

Art Deco hinged casket Box, made by ELO, mint condition, brown and red mottled bakelite, a nice item !! 1930's

Four small coaster type ashtrays in container by Stadium, British made 1930's, oxblood bakelite

Black bakelite and chrome 1940's No Fume ashtray, with a possible fascinating history, see top of this page for details and picture

The Dorset Flintless Lighter, Bakelite, circa 1953, see pics and details on this page