CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR MEN

from Harper's Bazaar, December 19, 1896

"EVERYTHING for men this season in the way of gifts is leather but instead of the accompanying prunella, silver takes its place. The English goods are very attractive, and the leading American manufacturers have produced copies of these, and thus all the large shops are filled with many articles, any of which would delight the heart of a man."

SILVER:
"If one begins in silver, it is necessary to note that repousse work has gone out of fashion as far as presents for the sterner sex are concerned, and everything must he solid, simple, and handsome. At the same time bulky articles are not popular and the prettiest conceits are made to fit comfortably in the waistcoat pocket."

TOBACCO BOX:
"A tobacco box, elliptical in shape, opening with a spring, of plain polished silver, with monogram or crest engraved, costs $18. It is quite small and invaluable to the man who likes an early morning pipe or a quiet smoke after the cares and pleasures of the day are over."

INKSTANDS:
"In inkstands there are many elaborate affairs in crystal and cut glass, with silver stoppers, plain and highly polished and silver trays to be placed underneath them. Many of these are quite high-priced, a very handsome one costing $29, while others again are much less in price. An antique tray with two receptacles for crystal inkpots, and a stamp-box of chased silver, Queen Anne design, is $20, and it would be a gift to be appreciated."

SILVER:
"Silver seals, silver mucilage-pots, silver pen-racks, silver pen-holders, silver pen-tweezers, small silver stamp-boxes for the waistcoat pocket, are among the many little things at prices much more reasonable. There are no designs or embellishments on any of these, and the prices range from $3 to $6. Men never use these at their offices, but on their desks at home. The fad for silver is universal. Calendar frames can be included among these articles, the calendar themselves being of ivory with white or red lettering."

NOVELTIES:
"With the exception of the little tobacco-boxes there are perhaps but few absolute novelties. Inkstands assume all manner of quaint shapes, and are in a hundred or more odd designs. Some in solid silver are among the actual new things, and they do not range in prices as high as the combinations of silver and crystal."

PAPER-WEIGHTS:
"Paperweights assume the guise of animals, and those in bronze are actual works of art. Every man is supposed to have more or less a penchant for sports, and dogs and birds, horses and deer, huntsmen and golfers, and all the impediments of field and turf, are brought into service, and a very wide latitude is given."

DECANTERS:
"For the table - and a bachelor would appreciate this, especially if he is keeping bachelor's hall - there are heavy crystal decanters of the Queen Anne pattern, some of them antique and others imitation. For the real article the shops ask as much as $50, but an excellent modern copy can be acquired for $10 to $15. All these should have silver labels with the name of the drinkable to be contained therein."

LAMPS:
"Silver ''coasters" for decanters are also acceptable presents; but one gift always appreciated is a silver cigarette or cigar lamp. These come in highly polished silver, and the lamps are small silver bottles of quaint design, filled with alcohol, and balanced like Chinese toys, so that they cannot upset. There are others in golf designs, which are also quite pretty. All these come with little trays, and the prices range from $20 to $30."

LEATHER:
"Leaving silver and turning to leather, one finds as many pretty and appropriate trifles at a much less cost. Waistcoat-pocket editions of everything are in vogue and the most fashionable leathers are taken from the monkey, the elephant, the snake, and the pig. Pig-skin is a very light-colored material, and is apt to turn darker and become grimy. A pig-skin pocket jewel-case for scarf-pins and sleeve-buttons is one of the novelties. The interior is fitted up with tiny compartments of doe-skin, in which the trinkets are placed. In shape it resembles the old-fashioned needle-book. The exterior can be enhanced by a silver monogram. In pig-skin these will cost $6, and $2 more for the monogram. In monkey - either tan, black, or pink - they are $8. Cigarette-cases in pig-skin are $2 and upward. Card-cases, small, in monkey, are $3, and in pig-skin, $2. The prices of all the little articles range from $1.50 to $10, according to the finish and the lining. Many of the pocket cases are tipped and bound in gilt or in sterling silver, and some of the latter are hall-marked. Of course these are more or less expensive, but one can safely give $10 as the usual price."

HYMNAL:
"A very useful Christmas present is a hymnal, or hymnal and prayer-book, bound in black monkey-skin, with silver monogram or gilt initials (the latter stamped inside the cover), of size for the waistcoat pocket. These would cost - marking and all - $10. Elephant-skin is not as handsome as monkey, and the snake-skin is beautiful to look at, but most perishable."

NOVELTIES:
"There still remain many other pretty presents, any of which is appropriate for a man, without resorting to the work-basket or the embroidery-frame. One need only mention silver or leather photograph-frames, leather calendars, leather stamp-boxes, pen-racks, and letter-cases, down to even the humble waste-paper basket. One English firm has a decided novelty in folding opera-glasses, arranged so as to fit in the inside coat pocket. It could be had for $6.50, while the more elaborate designs of golf clubs and whips were much more expensive."