In these cases, I try to offer help by referring to the past couple years of sale prices for the model in question and give them a ballpark expectation. Many of the emails I get ask me what the value is of their particular ashtray-this is a tricky question but my first assumption is that they are asking because they want to sell it (what's wrong with them?). Many of these ashtrays are embarrassingly overpriced, but to the collector, well worth it. Although they are quite difficult to come by, avid collectors have had their hobby made easier in recent years with the advent of Ebay where they are often bought and sold across continents. Typically, they were often given to aviation bigwigs and high ranking military decision-makers as gifts to be displayed in their offices prominently on their desktop as promotional giveaways. Another subset included aircraft identification models made during the war, such as the Bronzart models. These companies (and there were quite a few) manufactured very high quality, scale models of production aircraft that were mounted on desktop ashtrays (some were not), chrome-plated and used as marketing tools by major airlines and military contractors to advertise their aircraft. These are ashtrays manufactured between the 1940's and 1960's primarily, by a small group of manufacturers, notably Allyn Manufacturing, BronzArt, and Victor F Pastushin Industries-my favourites. Anyone who collects them by default is very cool. and not just any ashtray, but specifically a small subset of ashtrays known by us afficionados as airplane ashtrays. Although I've never been a smoker, I have to confess to a guilty pleasure (my wife would tell you it's an addiction, but I can stop at any time!) that most would find somewhat strange I am an avid collector of ashtrays.
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