| This was a such fun project! I had been on the hunt for an ashtray stand for a few years and never saw anything that excited me. I found this piece at an antique shop about a mile from my house and it just spoke to me! I did some research on it and found it was made by the Alexander Backer Company (ABCO) in NYC in the '40s. The top plate, handle and finial on the post are cast aluminum with chrome plating. The post and base covering I believe are tin. What looks like alabaster or marble at the base is actually plastic which I guess was common back then. I’ve seen some ABCO pieces where there is a wired light under it. The rose colored agate dome on the top was actually a working 120V cigarette lighter, too small for cigars, so I put a battery operated LED in it for aesthetic purposes. You can tell that this was made for cigarettes based on the size of the ash receptacle and the bin with the cap is the perfect size to hold filterless cigarettes (like Lucky Strike or Camel) vertically. It took a lot of elbow grease but I'm really happy with the result. It may not be best used as a cigar or pipe ashtray, but I always use it and it’s a great conversation piece! Hope you enjoy!    |
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