A cigarette case (sometimes called a cigarette tin) is a sturdy container used to store small numbers of and prevent them from being crushed. A typical cigarette case is a flat box (commonly made of metal) that opens symmetrically into two halves. Each half stores a row of cigarettes, which are often held in place by a spring or an elastic strap. Some cigarette cases are simply sturdy cases used to store standard .
Typical cigarette tins of this type in the United States of the 1920s–1930s stored 50 cigarettes. Because of this, they were sometimes referred to by the nickname "flat fifties". "Campus Publicity", January 28, 1935, Time
At the opening of each of his new Broadway productions, Cole Porter's wife, Linda, presented him with a cigarette case from Cartier. They were made in gold, silver or leather, many studded with gems and generally styled to relate to that show's theme. Cigarette cases are also collectible items.
Common "silver cigarette cases" are most often chrome plating, although there are silver-plated or polished aluminium cases in addition to genuine sterling silver ones.
The United States Census Bureau, for the purposes of industry statistics, includes manufacturing or adorning of cigarette cases in the category NAICS 339914 "Costume jewelry and novelty manufacturing". NAICS 339914 Census.gov
In 2003 the European Union witnessed a surge in cigarette case sales, attributable to the introduction of prominent black-bordered warning labels on cigarette packs, e.g., "Smokers Die Younger", etc., by an EU directive in January 2003. Cigarette cases were a way to avoid the invasive labels (another way being various satirical stickers, with slogans such as "You could be hit by a bus tomorrow").
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