Combination match holders and cigar cutters from U.S. patents

Cigars were probably more commonly smoked by citizens of the United States than any other country in the world. It is not therefore surprising that combination pocket match holders and cigar cutters are often found in the patent records. Some forty five patents were recorded between 1860 and 1903, and numerous others after that date. A selection are shown here that demonstrate the diversity of this type of box. By no means all of them were produced.

As early as 1860 the first such patent appeared: No.26,865 on January 17, 1860 by Albert M. Smith of New York. They were made bearing his name, and were offered in a catalogue as late as 1886, but although the patent drawings show a cigar cutter, the end product did not provide such a device.

Fig. 1. Smith's patent drawing P - cutter blade r - hole with cigar inserted		Fig. 2. Smith's end product

J.Kirchfeld and F. Heyl of Pennsylvania patented a device that held matches, had a cigar cutter and also had a tinder cord incorporated. This was No.76,084 of March 31, 1868 as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is my drawing of how the cigar cutter would look and work, the style of which occurred in Britain, made by Alfred Taylor of Birmingham in 1854. No examples have been recorded.

Fig. 3. Patent drawing		Fig. 4. Author's drawing	A - Main lid D - Cigar cutter lid b - Tinder cord channel c - Hole for cigar e - Cigar cutter blade

Arthur P. Yates of Syracuse, N. Y. was granted Patent No.256,093 on April 4, 1882. He showed two versions, one of which was produced by an unknown maker as shown. The cigar tip was placed in the hole in a plate attached to the top of the box, and a U-shaped frame to which the blade was soldered was pressed down to cut the cigar. Some examples were made with two different sized holes in the plate.

Fig. 5. Yates' drawings		Fig. 6. An example

Richard M. Collard as assignor to LeRoy W. Fairchild the New York silversmith, was granted Patent No.311,230 on January 27, 1885. His drawing is shown as Fig. 7. No examples have been recorded.

Fig. 7.

William M. Ducker of Brooklyn, N.Y. had his own company and filed for five patents between June 1, 1883 and May 18, 1885, all of which were granted on July 28, 1885. Four of the patents were for combination match holders and cigar cutters, the last, No.323,029 shown in Fig. 8, and an example in Fig. 9 of possibly the only one of the four that he made.

Fig. 8. Ducker's drawings		Fig. 9. An example. Note the different shape of the cutter blade.

Charles S. Alden of Rochester, New York, was granted Patent No.334,405 on January 19, 1886. His drawings are shown in Fig. 10. The lid was pivoted to swing away to reveal access for the matches, and acted as the cigar cutter blade, with the cigar tip placed in the hole in the top. There is a hole in the side to allow the cigar clippings to fall out. No examples have been recorded.

Fig. 10.

William W. Hayden of Newark, New Jersey was the proprietor of the Hayden Mfg. Co., in business as goldsmiths and silversmiths from 1892 until c.1909, making a range of novelty items. He had a patent, No.493,866 of March 21, 1893. The cutting blade could be swung back to act as a knife for sharpening pencils. He made these boxes, some with the main body in a flamboyant style, and a plain version was shown in an advertisement of February 1894. The patent drawings and the image from the advertisement are shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 11.

John W. Maillot of North Attleboro, Massachusetts held patents in the U.S. and Canada, for a box made by F. M. Whiting & Co. His patents were No.499,129 of June 6, 1893 in the U.S., and No.46,075 of May 17, 1894 in Canada. They were made and advertised by Whiting in 1894. The patent drawings are shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 12.

On May 18, 1897, Joseph Vorel of Johnstown, New York, was granted Patent No.582,706 for a match-box that incorporated a cigar perforator. One of his two designs is shown in Fig. 13. No examples have been recorded.

Fig. 13

Fig. 14.

Frank Fontneau of Attleborough, Massachusetts as an assignor to P. J. Cummings & Co. was granted Patent No. 642,520, his drawings shown in Fig. 14. The cutter was activated by opening the lid to which the cutter was attached; the action of the lid caused the cutter to slide Fig. 14. up and down in a channel with a hole for the cigar tip.

Patent No.797,259 in Fig. 15, was granted on August 15, 1905 to Jean Louis H. Brodeur Jr. of Meriden, Connecticut, as assignor to The International Silver Co. for a combination book match holder and cigar cutter. They were made in sterling silver by the company, and advertised in November of 1905, a part of the advertisement to show how it was used shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 15.		Fig. 16.

Ernest A. Oldenbusch of New York had been associated with the William Schimper Co. until 1900 with whom he held fifteen patents, three for pocket match holders. In 1909 he formed a partnership as one of the principals in the Kronheimer Oldenbusch Co., to make plated silverwares. In 1910 he was granted Patent No.961,001 on June 7 for a "Combined Match Box Holder and Cigar Cutter", the patent drawings shown in Fig. 17. No examples have been recorded.

Fig. 17.

He was later granted Patent No.1,186,328 on June 6, 1916 for a book match holder with a cigar cutter, shown in Fig. 18. These are known to have been produced by the Kronheimer Oldenbusch Co.
	Fig. 18.

These pocket match holders and many others appear in the patent records of the United States. There were also a significant number of free-standing devices, mostly intended for use in cigar stores, on bar counters and in other public locations.