Photo Credit: CoopsRetroBar
French Belle Époque Cherry Amber Cigar Holder
Asking Price: $47.87 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This amber cigar holder from the French Belle Époque era is a tobacconist’s dream, with its translucent cherry red amber and rich gold trim.
-This antique amber cigar holder measures 3.25 inches (8.3 cm) long by 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) in diameter, which is a typical size for a pre-World War I cigar holder.
-Cigar holders were widely used by discerning gentleman smokers in late 19th century men’s clubs, bars and billiard rooms. This indispensable smoking paraphernalia fulfilled two main purposes; it prevented nicotine staining of the fingers and kept second hand smoke from wafting into the smoker’s face.
–The Bell Époque refers to the unprecedented period of peace and prosperity in France that ran from 1871 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. While it is not possible to date this French cigar holder with complete precision, it is certain that it hails from sometime during the late 19th or early 20th century – solidly during the glorious Bell Époque.
–Amber is fossilized tree resin – or, more accurately, the partially oxidized, polymerized resin of certain species of ancient, extinct trees. This particular cigar holder is a made from scarce and desirable red amber, otherwise known as cherry amber.
-This antique amber cigar holder comes in what is almost certainly its original fitted case made from leather, silk and velvet. In addition, the case has the French term “Or Contrôlé” printed inside it, which roughly translates as “assayed gold” or “inspected gold “. This indicates that the item inside was tested for its gold purity by a French assay office.
-This French cherry amber cigar holder has two pieces of gold trim: a gold ring at its tip and a plain, decorative gold cartouche halfway down its length. According to the seller and the photos, there are two hallmarks on the gold cartouche, although these are indecipherable. In light of the overall quality of this piece and the fact that the case has the words “Or Contrôlé” printed on it, I find it highly improbably that the trim is anything other than 18K (.750 fine) solid gold.
-Both the case and the cigar holder are in superb condition. It is quite common for antique cigar holders to have tooth marks or chips near the mouthpiece. But this specimen appears to be absolutely pristine, indicating that it might be unused – a term called “unsmoked” among tobacconists.
-At only $48, the price of this Belle Époque cherry amber cigar holder is ridiculously low! If we assume the gold trim is 18K and weighs about 1 gram, then the piece contains around $30 worth of gold (at a spot price of $1,230 an ounce). This means there is almost no downside risk to buying this investment quality antique!
Cons:
-Because this amber cigar holder originates from the United Kingdom, shipping costs might be uncomfortably high for U.S. buyers. Etsy estimated a cost of $15.25 – nearly 1/3 of the purchase price – to send this treasure across the pond to my little corner of the United States.
-The indistinct hallmarks prevent definitive determination of the gold content in the metal trim. As I state above, I do believe it is 18K gold, but confirmation from the French hallmarks would have been ideal.
-The asking price is so low on this piece that I am really grasping at straws to come up with any substantive cons. I would normally expect an amber cigar holder of this caliber to easily sell for $150 or $200.
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