Wings and Strings, Striking Art Deco Etched and Gilded Cigarette Case color sample book hollow on the interior so

hollow on the interior so that the ends of whatever it's holding can slip down inside

There is one small area of light colored spotting near the lip that appears original to the making

either clearly made of copper or described as tinned copper

and then released to let the shutter close

Clearly it has had quite a life

Wings and Strings, Striking Art Deco Etched and Gilded Cigarette Case color sample book hollow on the interior soNot exactly my usual thing, but I was completely seduced by this and could not walk away. It is a cigarette case, c. 1920s or so I believe, with a gold toned metal strap inside that is designed to be easily removed, such that it could certainly be used for other things. The material is some sort of hard plastic, celluloid or similar, but reads like etched glass, and for me this very much calls to mind verre eglomise patch and candy boxes of a century