12 replies to this topic

[superado]

I've always been fascinated and yet befuddled by Bond's cigarette case as described by Fleming in his books. Here are the things we know about it, strictly from Fleming:

-It is gunmetal in color
-It is flat and slim
-It is wide
-It holds 50 cigarettes (how different Morland cigs are from today's filtered Malboro "kings" for comparison, I do not know)
-Bond keeps it in his hip pocket.
-Shoved inbetween the pages of an Eric Ambler novel, Bond's cigarette case helped stop Grant's small caliber bullet, raising questions about the case's density, and/or if the book was more instrumental in stopping the bullet.

After some research (mostly through eBay ), I've discovered that:

-Cases in gunmetal finish are very uncommon. Surely, some would have come up now and then if these were regularly manufactured, and I've come across only one vintage specimen, which was more dissimilar than it was similar to Bond's case in many aspects.
-The largest specimens are around 7 to 8 inches long, not as common as 4 inch cases, which stores cigarettes on only one side and can carry only 20-25 cigarettes. I haven't seen double-sided cases of this length, but if they existed, they would no longer be "slim" as Fleming described.
-Most UK made vintage cases are from Birmingham, and made out of sterling silver.
-Anything related to cigarette cases that can carry 50 cigarettes are vintage cigarette tins, and interestingly there is a specific category for cigarette tins called "Flat 50." Their dimensions are only 4 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches and these are surprisingly thin due to them being constructed from tin.
-None of these "flat 50" tins are in gunmetal; the closest, however are Player's Navy Cut (there coincidentally are 2 lit Bond connections, "Players" from TB and of course, "Navy"), which has a matt black background, a gold border, the Player's logo on the upper left corner, and "50 Cigarettes" stenciled on the lower right corner:


-Of the all the cigarette tins I've come across on eBay (there are several hundreds at any one time) none of these are "plain," and are either lithographed or embossed with the cigarette brand. The closest to "plain" are pre-WWII (?) specimens that were unembossed, bearing no lithograph, but with the paper label glued on; these are rare compared to the lithographed specimens.
-Cigarette tins of 50 were issued as part of standard rations given to British military personel by the government or the Red Cross; similarly, Ronson produced uniquely matt-black finished lighters during the war.

In line with how Fleming's wartime experience heavily influenced his writing, I'm begining to think that Fleming himself used a wartime Ronson, and recycled a "flat 50" cigarette tin to carry his Morland specials (in keeping with some of his eccentric and frugal practices), except that when he adopted these for Bond, with artistic license he transformed the case's finish to gunmetal, an ideal and favorite color of his it seems.

Last year, I bought a 7-inch long, vintage Sterling silver case from eBay, had it finished in gunmetal (not as dark as the movie version), but observed that it is too heavy and long to carry in the hip pocket of my slacks. Based on my earlier findings, I thought a case like mine was a very close approximation to Bond's cigarette case, but I am now having doubts.

If Bond's case in the real world is based on these cigarette tins, it certainly (again) changes my preconception of the character. These tins are certainly lighter than sterling, with a smaller dimension and a greater capacity for cigarettes (in fact, exactly the count of 50 as described by Fleming).

On the contrary: (1) Were "flat 50" cases ever made in a generic, unadorned gunmetal finish? If not, of course, there's the possibility of Fleming taking fictional liberties. (2) Would a tin case help stop a bullet? If in his mind he indeed envsioned Bond's case to be tin, this can be accounted by another one of Fleming's occasional technical lapses, just as his choice for Bond's pistol in FRWL was "corrected" by Geoffey Boothroyd. (3) Isn't a cheap cigarette tin out of character for Bond? To some preconceptions like mine, yes, which earlier made me opt for getting a sterling cigarette case because the quality was a natural extension of Bond's finer tastes; but Bond has also shown himself to be frugal with many aspects of his lifestyle, perhaps as a reflection of Fleming himself.

Are there any Tobacciana experts and/or Fleming scholars out there who can comment? Thanks for reading.

Edited by superado, 25 January 2006 - 10:40 PM.

[FLEMINGFAN]

Having looked for the same items over the years, and never really finding one, I did find your posting very interesting and informative.

Morland's had closed down by the time I made it to London, so I could neither order the cigarettes (which came in two versions: Plain with the three gold bands and another issue with "James Bond" imprinted on them under the bands), nor obtain a gunmetal case.

The cigarettes were small, about the size of the current Camel non-filtres that are still available, so the case would not have to be too big.

However, I agree that Bond should not be carring a cheap tin case around. Perhaps it would be best to assume that he had it custom-made (like his cigarettes) and was influenced by the wartime tins for his design inspiration. That, along with the thickness of the book, could have stoped Red Grant's bullet.

(He just has to always remember to remove the case from his hip-pocket before sitting down. Been there....did that!)

[JohnB]

Hip pocket
Carrying either a wallet or a cigarette case in a hip pocket is not a British tradition. Fleming (or Bond) wore a jacket and carried his wallet in his upper right inside pocket and his cigarette case (not a tin) in his upper left inside pocket. In the tropics, where one often carries one's jacket, these pockets would have hidden zips to stop the contents tipping out.

While flying the Atlantic once, I sat next to a mafia capo and his 'minder', who told me of an unfortunate experience he'd just had. He'd been in Rome to see the Pope and when waiting in line, had his pocket picked. I found it hard to credit that a smartarse such as he could have been so naive as to carry anything valuable in his hip pocket. His wallet had been bulging with cash - making a tempting target. Apparently it is the habit where he came from (Boston) to use the hip pocket in this manner. I recommend keeping hip pockets empty, more especially when one has either contents or a bottom that bulges.

Cheers!
John

[ACE]

Thanks JohnB for an educational post.

[Bryce (003)]

In London once, I spent the better part of THREE HOURS in a tabacco shop on Oxford Street, trolling through at least 400+ cigarette cases looking for something that fit the bill to no avail.

I was looking for the film style. Flat, single sided, and a capacity for at least 20 cigs stacked horizontally.

Today, I carry a rather inexpensive case by Colibri, which holds eleven and has the addition of a built in lighter at the base. The color is right though.

For more formal dress, I have a dark brown leather bound case from Dunhill. It's fitted with a gold tone metal frame inside that makes it quite handsome with my centennial edition gold Ronson lighter when I set it down at the bar or casino table.

As to the gunmetal case, I've recently approached a custom case designer about creating one for me. It's almost like having jewelry made. I should have it in another few weeks...hopefully...He's a fine craftsman, but my Italian is almost as bad as his English. I have a better chance with Japanese, but it's just not in the cards for him.

I believe the case that became Bond's in Dr. No was a custom job from Dunhill that someone in props found at the last minute because the person who had commissioned it didn't like the end result.

I wonder what ever became of it?

The last time we saw it (or one like it) was LTK.

[superado]

Hip pocket
Carrying either a wallet or a cigarette case in a hip pocket is not a British tradition. Fleming (or Bond) wore a jacket and carried his wallet in his upper right inside pocket and his cigarette case (not a tin) in his upper left inside pocket. In the tropics, where one often carries one's jacket, these pockets would have hidden zips to stop the contents tipping out.

Welcome John. I don't know exacly how Fleming carried his own cigarette case, but the 4th paragraph of Casino Royale, Chapter 8, "Pink Lights and Champagne," begins with, "He slipped the case into his hip pocket..."

Whether Fleming described a real cigarette case or one that he idealized, I have yet to see one that could fit 50 cigarettes while having the features described by Fleming.

What SILHOUETTE MAN quoted in the Morlands thread is interesting, from the A-Z structure of Adrian Turner's pocket movie guide 'Goldfinger' (1998). "When Fleming was asked if Bond was wise in smoking such a conspicuous brand (Morlands), he said: Of course...no self-respecting agent would use such things. He'd smoke Players or Chesterfields. But the readers enjoy such idiosyncrasies... " A theory of mine is that Fleming actually had Players in mind for Bond, tin and all, except he converted these to his own Morlands and fictionally and conveniently converted the Player tin into a cigarette case. The gunmetal color, its capacity for 50 cigarettes and the descriptor of "flat," are enough to make this very plausible...to me at least.

Edited by superado, 18 February 2006 - 02:50 AM.

[JohnB]

superado, thank you for that. As you have discovered, my knowledge of the fiction is limited - I read the Bond books as they were published and that is long ago. Even so, I am mildly shocked that Fleming would have a fictional character carry a cigarette case in that manner. Side pocket, I can imagine, but the hip? I doubt Bond could have sat without it falling out, or risking damage. Maybe Fleming's understanding of hip pocket was different.

Cheers!
John

Edited by JohnB, 18 February 2006 - 03:03 AM.

[superado]

superado, thank you for that. As you have discovered, my knowledge of the fiction is limited - I read the Bond books as they were published and that is long ago. Even so, I am mildly shocked that Fleming would have a fictional character carry a cigarette case in that manner. Side pocket, I can imagine, but the hip? I doubt Bond could have sat without it falling out, or risking damage. Maybe Fleming's understanding of hip pocket was different.

Cheers!
John

John, this thread should be combined with the Morland's thread. Thank you for adding to our information about Fleming and it would be interesting to know what other interesting tidbits you have about him. More again on this subject, I do think that Fleming was quirky about many details that he put down on paper and took many liberties as much as he could get away with it. Anyway, on this theory of mine that Fleming actually envisioned a cheap tin as Bond's cigarette case, can you confirm if there were any tins issued in plain gunmetal color, without any lithographed tobacco logos? I thought maybe some cigarette tins issued in war rations could be like this, but could not find any references online. Thank you in advance.

[FLEMINGFAN]

As to the gunmetal case, I've recently approached a custom case designer about creating one for me. It's almost like having jewelry made. I should have it in another few weeks...hopefully...He's a fine craftsman, but my Italian is almost as bad as his English. I have a better chance with Japanese, but it's just not in the cards for him.


As I have searched for many a year (and even had one 'blued' by a gunsmith), I would be interested in knowing how your custom-made case works out. Please keep me posted.

[Red Barchetta]

In all the films, don't we always see Bond remove the case from his left inside jacket pocket?

I don't recall ever seeing Bond pull it out of his hip pocket.

[stromberg]

In all the films, don't we always see Bond remove the case from his left inside jacket pocket?

I don't recall ever seeing Bond pull it out of his hip pocket.

Movies would be quite an easy discussion. That's why this thread is in the literary section

A cigarette case carrying 50 is quite a bulky thing in ones hip pocket. I do have an ordinary tin from the 50s, which was made for 48. The thing has the size of a paperback, impossible to carry it like that. Only way to carry it is in one's jacket. Everything else is too uncomfortable.

[JohnB]

John, this thread should be combined with the Morland's thread. Thank you for adding to our information about Fleming and it would be interesting to know what other interesting tidbits you have about him. More again on this subject, I do think that Fleming was quirky about many details that he put down on paper and took many liberties as much as he could get away with it. Anyway, on this theory of mine that Fleming actually envisioned a cheap tin as Bond's cigarette case, can you confirm if there were any tins issued in plain gunmetal color, without any lithographed tobacco logos? I thought maybe some cigarette tins issued in war rations could be like this, but could not find any references online. Thank you in advance.

Tidbits is an apt description of what I can offer. My personal experiences and memories are too limited to offer more.

Each nation had its own method of packing and distributing tobacco and cigarettes to its servicemen and women, and in London, one could have seen most of them at work. I cannot therefore discount the possibility that in some cases a plain, gunmetal-coloured tin would not have been used. I have a thought on this: it was common practice on small vessels to store personal consumables in the bilges. Any labels would wash off and render the contents unidentifiable, so to avoid this, one would first tear off the label and mark/paint/write on the outside a description of the contents. Further, the bright, new look would soon turn to gunmetal grey. Just a thought.

A rectangular tin carrying a standard 50 cigarettes of the then standard width and length would measure 6 by 4 1/4 by 1/2 inches. This would fit an inside jacket pocket comfortably.

Cheers!

John

[addyb]

I carry my cigs inside of a metal case. It's a shiny chrome, and I bought a smaller one, it will only hold 8 cigarettes at a time. Mind you, it's a control issue for me, I only smoke five a day, so I merely fill it up with five.

It's reasonable narrow, and holds king-size, so it fits quite nicely inside of my trouser pocket.

The thing one must remember with Bond's cigarette case is that Bond smoked what we call "flats." They're quite short cigarettes, much shorter than a king size. As well, they were unfiltered, which is why he had to tap them before he puts them inside his mouth. I've smoked unfiltered before, and if you don't tap them, you end up with tobacco in your mouth.

Because Bond's cigarettes were short, they were smaller, so I don't think the case would have to be very large. It quite possibly would fit inside of his trouser pocket.

Adam