How jazzed was I to spot the deliciously mid-mod Anholt safety ashtray on Sunday’s episode of Mad Men (during Betty’s interrogation scene)? Pretty psyched, let me tell you! The Anholt safety ashtray was designed in 1941 to prevent cigarette-induced infernos. Anholt, A Denver-based company, made their ashtrays originally out of genuine Coors porcelain in a basic round form with raised “teeth” to hold the cigarettes in place. The freeform or “boomerang” design dates to the 1960′s (obviously), and was produced in both porcelain and melamine. I scored my lovely orange melmac “Anholt freeform” scavenging through my grandmother’s garage, but they are incredibly easy to find in a rainbow of vintage shades — Ebay, for example, has a huge range of options ranging from $5- $30! –Megan B.