Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Corporations Scrambling to Economize and Streamline.....Collecting Tobacciana Ashtrays

Corporations Scrambling to Economize and Streamline

If you've ever worked for a boss that reacts before getting the facts and thinking things through, you will love this!

Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business.

He walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked, 'How much money do you make a week?'

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, 'I make $400 a week. Why?'

The CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, 'Here's four weeks' pay, now GET OUT and don't come back.'

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, 'Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here? '
From across the room came a voice, 'Pizza delivery guy from Domino's.'

Now that's what I call a GENEROUS TIP!! Photobucket

ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE...........
I have been working "overtime" listing a whole whack of ashtrays that I have been collecting for years. A lot of them bring back memories....others just tell a little story about where they came from.


Actually, the term for a receptacle to dispose of your ash and butts ....... "ashtray" was conjured up in Great Britain about 1880. Smoking tobacco has been used since the 1500's. As the different eras were born, so were different ashtray designs. Materials used to make them ranged from the precious gold, silver, marble, etc to cheap metals, ceramics, porcelain, glass.


As smoking increased in popularity, businesses got the idea to advertise their business or product on ashtrays. After all, ashtrays were everywhere. Advertising ashtrays were born and folks started "borrowing" them as mementos of stays in hotels, motels, vacations, etc. Pretty soon every business had them on tables, in lobbys, kitchen tables, gas stations, mom and pop diners to the most luxurious of places.

Vintage ashtrays that are high on collectors' wish lists include those from early- and mid-20th century luxury hotels and popular nightspots, like New York's Stork Club; automobilia (especially tire companies); defunct casinos; and planes, trains, and ocean liners. For example, a Pullman Company smoking stand (free-standing ashtray) recently sold online for $710, while a MetalCraft airplane smoking stand went for $995!


Here is a list of the Casinos in Las Vegas that are no more......
Aladdin Hotel & Casino
Barbary Coast Hotel & Casino
Binion's Horseshoe
Boardwalk Hotel & Casino
Bourbon Street Hotel & Casino
Castaways Casino
Castaways Hotel & Casino
Desert Inn
Duns Hotel & Casino
El Rancho Hotel Casino
El Rancho Vegas
New Frontier Hotel & Casino
Hacienda Resort
Holiday Casino
Klondike Hotel & Casino
Lady Luck Hotel & Casino
Landmark Hotel & Casino
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Marina Hotel
The Mind Las Vegas
Moulin Rouge Hotel
Northern Club Casino
Pioneer Club Las Vegas
Sands Hotel
Silver City Casino
Silver Slipper
Silverbird Hotel
South Coast Casino
Stardust Resort & Casino
Thunderbird
Vegas World
Westward Ho Hotel & Casino

I am sure there are more that I do not know about, but this is a start. If you come across an ashtray from a little unknown Casino from some obscure place, snap it up.

You can learn lots of trivia researching ashtrays. I have one listed at Onlineauction.com from the oldest hotel casino in Las Vegas. Opened in 1906 and in 1907 was the first telephone customer and their phone number was 1..... Photobucket
Here's the link...CLICK HERE to View My Item


Today, we all know smoking has become a generally unacceptable habit and health risk. There are very few places where one can light up. "No Smoking" signs are everywhere and even some new cars no longer have Lighters and Ashtrays as interior equipment.

It only makes sense that since advertising dollars are no longer spent on ashtrays, the value of these items from earlier eras are becoming more valuable and one day will be highly sought after.

I have to stop buying them and clear out boxes of them...so if you want to start collecting or add to an existing collection, here's an opportunity to find some deals. Start with buying one a week and grow it from there....
It would just tickle me if everyone would check out My OLA House CLICK HERE for my store

3 comments:

PancerBali said...

It’s so nice site. We love to see more on this site. Keep on updating… MonkAreYou Bali
*jgjgjgh

Fleapirates said...

Great post, SG! Love the list of bygone casinos... gonna have to copy that! Keep the musings coming!
http://fleapiratesplunder.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I love it good post and I love that you added a list of those old hotels in vegas. Very cool. I might just use that when I get rid of all my old ashtrays that I got from some of those places. Wow, I didn't know they might be collectibles. Thanks for sharing. :) A's