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Condition
Pre-Owned – Very Good Vintage Condition
Attractive original vintage condition with age-appropriate surface wear, rubbing and patina to the burgundy leather, particularly at edges and corners. Gold decoration remains quite strong. Interior wood is clean overall with minor wear from age/use. Hinge operates properly. No major structural damage noted. Original International Gift of the Month Club descriptive pamphlet is included and shows expected toning/spotting from age. Please review all photographs for condition.
Description
Beautiful vintage Florentine leather cigarette box, handmade in Florence, Italy and retaining its original International Gift of the Month Club informational pamphlet.
The box is covered in rich burgundy/maroon leather and decorated with an extensive repeating fleur-de-lis lattice pattern in gold leaf, with additional gilt tooling around the sides. The original accompanying literature specifically describes the piece as:
“This beautiful cigarette box of fine Florentine leather”
and states that these Florentine leather articles were hand-tooled and decorated in 24-carat gold leaf.
The box is constructed over wood with a natural wood interior and a full-length brass-colored hinge. The exterior is stamped “MADE IN ITALY.”
The original fold-out pamphlet is especially desirable and discusses the centuries-old Florentine tradition of leather bookbinding and the development of decorative leather objects in Florence. It is marked:
International Gift of the Month Club
Firenze (Florence) the Beautiful
Printed in Italy
The International Gift of the Month Club is documented operating from Florence by the early 1950s; surviving postal material places the organization at Via Montebello in Florence in 1952–53, supporting an early-to-mid-1950s date for this piece.
A wonderful small example of mid-century Florentine craftsmanship and considerably more interesting than the typical unmarked Italian trinket box because its original provenance literature remains with it.
Approximate Dimensions
Approximately 3½” wide x 3¼” deep x 1½” high
Please refer to the ruler photographs for exact scale.
Features
* Genuine Florentine leather
* Made in Florence, Italy
* Burgundy / wine-colored leather
* Repeating gilt fleur-de-lis decoration
* Hand-tooled design
* Original literature states 24-carat gold leaf
* Wood-lined interior
* Hinged construction
* Stamped MADE IN ITALY
* Original International Gift of the Month Club pamphlet included
* Circa early–mid 1950s
