by Linda Romberg
Oct 2012
Shawnee Tales
Hooray! Fall has finally arrived with temperatures falling below a hundred in Arizona most days - still some heat but cooler nights and tolerable - I think most of us have seen record breaking weather across the states this summer so we will all enjoy the Fall season.
Something we seldom come across anymore is the smoking memorabilia - Shawnee made a variety of ashtrays, cigarette boxes and even some humidors. I collected the Stangl cigarette boxes over the years from when I was going to Pottery Festival each summer.
One of my favorite pieces is the black panther ashtray - so unique and it has two accessory pieces of smaller ash trays that are paw prints - beautiful display as a set.
I have mentioned this before but for the serious collector Pam Curran's Shawnee Encyclopedia is a must have reference book - it is so inclusive and a wealth of information. Extensive research and an abundance of pictures. Below are some excerpts of just some of the ashtrays and cigarette boxes.
The arrowhead ashtray and cigarette case are essentially the only original logo pieces we have of Shawnee, most commonly in the rust but the white with the maroon lid is very rare and beautiful, a true find, it has been on my want list for many years. For later discussion the Potters Wheel bookends are probably a logo piece as well.
My black cigarette case with the gold stenciling on top came from Zanesville. I have to admit we don't see a lot of variety here in Arizona - seems the Midwest and East have a wider assortment - so many of the planter lines also have ashtrays, like Kashani, a few cigarette boxes, Confetti. Not a lot is shown or even known about which lines had the smoking memorabilia - Pam Curran's book shows beautiful catalog sheets, but these may not feature the complete line - would love to have some of our readers share pieces they have in their collection. I would love to know what else is out there.
I have seen several of the canisters we think of as cookie jars but decorated with smoking theme - featured are a couple from Pam's book - I myself have only found one that actually had the rubber seal around the lid to indicate it was meant to be a humidor. Has anyone else come across any of these? With smoking becoming less popular there are lots of collectors seeking out vintage pieces.
I find myself running out of room these days but still find it hard to resist a piece I don't have or some of the bargains we see online. As I get older, I try to be less compulsive but as you collectors know, that is easier said than done. Friends who are not collectors just do not understand this obsession. LOL.
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from Shawnee Pottery Full Encyclopedia by Pam Curran
from Shawnee Pottery Full Encyclopedia by Pam Curran
from Shawnee Pottery Full Encyclopedia by Pam Curran
