Featured Wooden tobacco jar- J.W Soper

Hi all,found this beautifully made vintage tobacco jar (standing 12cm tall) Also the label looked vintage,cool and interesting. Was surprised when I googled the maker. Found some ashtrays for sale for seemingly ridiculous money? Are these J.W.Soper items really so valuable/collectible? Are the sellers just being crazy? Thanks for any comments

https://www.rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk/john-walter-soper/

https://www.stanhopemicroworks.com/...ctoria-falls-vegetable-ivory-ashtray-stanhope

https://www.bobshop.co.za/unusual-v...hodesian-teak-and-vegetable-ivory/p/141398557

 

Still looking to find another tobacco jar.

 

I'd think the stanhope was driving the price of the ashtray.

Debora

 

This sold for nothing like.

https://www.davidduggleby.com/aucti...rStanhopesincludingaturnedteakas.aspx?search=

Debora

 

There are quite a few listings on ebay for wood tobacco jars. They're also called spice jars.

 

Yes true,but looking for other jars by J.W Soper specifically

 

True. But I only paid the equivalent of about $2. Also that ashtray didn’t have the label. Listed as “Possibly by J.W Soper’ and doesn’t look to have the vegetable ivory nut.

 

Maybe. But also thinking a tobacco jar is definitely scarcer.

 

it's a lovely piece of history..

 

Still a Soper's Curios at Victoria Falls.

https://www.myguidezimbabwe.com/shopping/soper-curios

Debora

 

That’s great. It’s cool that they kept the Soper name with such history. Thanks for the comments Debora

 

I agree. Glad you also like it. Thanks

 

the nut on the top was for knocking/emptying your pipe, hence the "ash tray"

.... not sure of the photo with a clay pipe !

 

Thank you. That’s interesting. I didn’t know or consider that.

 

ya gotta be or live with a pipe smoker to know that !!!

 

That must be so!

 

My father smoked smelly old Gitanes which all my friends thought was so great ...
but used a wooden ashtray as above that had been an uncles

check out "cendrier a pipes"

 

Ditto. And made with local materials too.

 

Having two to sell and a bit of research later , I only found out last year that clay pipes were cheap and throw away because they blocked easily or broke

So for curiositys sake many hundreds found in the Thames and other ports

https://www.beachcombingmagazine.com/blogs/news/mudlarking-the-art-of-smoking

https://amudlarksdiary.com/2020/12/01/clay-pipes-tobacco-and-stuff/

 

And anywhere else in Europe, probably other places around the world too. But I wouldn't worry about it, it was simply a prop in a listing. So it has nothing to do with Boland's tobacco jar.