Ashtray - Steel - Atomic Age





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Mexican-made steel standing ashtray from the 1950s (circa 1950–1960) in black and silver, with a round shallow top and three slim vertical rods, 60 cm high and 18 cm wide, in good used condition with minor signs of wear; Atomic Age design.
Description from the seller
It is a mid-20th-century free-standing ashtray, with that unmistakable Atomic Age vibe that in Mexico developed its own language: clean lines, gleaming metal, and a blend of domestic practicality with a futuristic wink.
The structure rests on three thin, taut, vertical metal rods, creating a light, almost airy silhouette. They are not meant to decorate; they aim to suggest modernity, efficiency, an object designed to coexist with interiors that looked toward the future. The rounded base provides stability and a sculptural touch, as if the ashtray were also a small design piece.
At the top, the circular tray — shallow, with a smooth edge — concentrates the function of the object. That minimalist design, without ornaments, is very characteristic of 1950s MCM ashtrays, especially Mexican workshops and manufacturers that reinterpreted modernism with polished metals and simple geometries. The metallic, bright, and reflective finish reinforces that “atomic” spirit: surfaces that catch the light, forms that seem almost instrumental, as if they belonged to a laboratory or a science-fiction set of the era.
Certified shipping and careful packaging.
Seller's Story
It is a mid-20th-century free-standing ashtray, with that unmistakable Atomic Age vibe that in Mexico developed its own language: clean lines, gleaming metal, and a blend of domestic practicality with a futuristic wink.
The structure rests on three thin, taut, vertical metal rods, creating a light, almost airy silhouette. They are not meant to decorate; they aim to suggest modernity, efficiency, an object designed to coexist with interiors that looked toward the future. The rounded base provides stability and a sculptural touch, as if the ashtray were also a small design piece.
At the top, the circular tray — shallow, with a smooth edge — concentrates the function of the object. That minimalist design, without ornaments, is very characteristic of 1950s MCM ashtrays, especially Mexican workshops and manufacturers that reinterpreted modernism with polished metals and simple geometries. The metallic, bright, and reflective finish reinforces that “atomic” spirit: surfaces that catch the light, forms that seem almost instrumental, as if they belonged to a laboratory or a science-fiction set of the era.
Certified shipping and careful packaging.

