By Terry Kovel The first U.S. Surgeon General warning on tobacco
products was required in 1964. Tobacco was labeled as bad for
your health. Americans were soon using fewer tobacco products,
like cigarettes, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco and
cigars. In the late Victorian era, use of snuff lost favor, and
tobacco was used mainly for pipes. Tobacco is a dried leaf, and
it crumbles easily, so it's kept in a container that could used
as a humidor. By the mid 19th century, many pottery jars were
being made in Germany in amusing shapes. Few were made in the
United States. Animals, human heads, historic figures and
obvious shapes like barrels were popular. By the 1930s, most
potteries were making more-formal and less-colorful jars.
Collectors search for ornamental examples, especially those made
of majolica or another colorful ceramic or by well-known
factories. Tobacco jars range from 6 to 13 inches tall. They
sometimes are confused with cookie jars. But a jar-humidor has a
section with a hole inside the lid