Founded in 1847, Colt’s Patent Arms Mfg. Co. of Hartford, Connecticut is justly famous for its iconic firearms like the “Colt .45"
 and M1911 pistols.

Believe it or not, the company also made smoking accessories!

A rare example of a Colt book-style humidor from the 1930s was on auction on eBay and ended yesterday. It was made by the Colt Plastics Division, which produced civilian products such as electrical outlets and buttons, all imprinted with the famous Colt logo.

The rarely-seen “The Courtship of Lady Nicotine” humidor was made of bakelite, a plastic material highly popular in the 1930s. It was decorated with a geometric Art Deco design on the front and back and the front opened to reveal a set of compartments for cigars (or cigarettes), a lighter or matches and a striker that could – in a pinch – also be used as an ashtray. The “book” measured 6 1/2 inches tall, five inches across and 1 3/8 inches in thickness.

The Colt Plastics Division didn’t last long and was sold during World War II as the company concentrated on gun manufacturing for the military. But the division’s products are highly collectible and the humidor drew some lively interest, eventually earning 10 bids and a final price of $392.77.
 

“The Courtship of Lady Nicotine” is one of a series of cigar boxes which demonstrate just how old the “book-style” box or humidor is. The Colt version dates from the early 1930s, but another auction showed that the use of such a gimmick began much earlier.

On January 23, a holiday gift box that held 12 cigars in a book-style box entitled “Compliments of the Season” from about 1900 was sold on eBay. The exterior of the box wasn’t in very good condition and the item sold for only $45.00.

And there are even older examples. One of the slide-show exhibits in the online National Cigar Museum showcases book-style boxes and has an example that dates back to 1876! It’s a box of cigars from a company called Froude Seegars of New York.