Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is a very well made wooden cigarette dispenser from Poland dating to the late 1920s. It is in the shape of a house or barn with a matchbox holder at one end and a bowl at the other end for spent matches. It was probably made just for personal use but is nonetheless a very accomplished piece of wood carving, turning and joinery. It is signed at the bottom P.W.K. Poznań 1929.

The house is a wooden box that lifts up and down on a central rib. It is raised initially to fill the box with cigarettes. It is then raised again to dispense a single cigarette onto the groove along the top of the central rib.

At a time when the vast majority of people smoked cigarettes, this type of dispenser was a common sight in households. However being a handmade piece this is unique and a real tribute to the craftsmanship of P.W.K. back in 1929.

The dispenser is in remarkably good condition, a real survivor given the horrors that Poland suffered during the Second World War. It is 25.5cm long, 9.3cm wide and 13.5cm high (unraised). It weighs 470g.

Shipping in the UK is £8 by Royal Mail Tracked 24.
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