Cuban_chests

When Europeans arrived in Cuba they discovered more than tobacco. Numerous fruits and veggies were added to the world’s tables. Exotic hardwoods were none the less prized. The island soon became known for fine woodworking, much of which went into creating chests for the island’s cigars so highly prized by the wealthy worldwide. All Cuban export cigar companies seem to have used fancy chests at one time or another.

H. Upmann c1955

A gift to me from one of my father’s friends who bought it new filled with cigars in the mid 1950’s. A large box, measuring 11” x 12” x 3.5” mas o menos, it is sectioned to hold five vitolas (sizes and shapes) made from “vintage 1952” tobacco.

Unknown cigar maker 1960

Box of cigars given to sportswriter Joe Hill of the Columbus Dispatch at a convention of International League sportswriters in Havana in 1960.

Box is marked “Havana, Cuba, 1960, Año de la Reforma Agraria” and “Asoc. Cronistas Deportivos de Cuba.” Each writer attending got a similar box with his name inscribed inside.

Same Cuban national seal, but here on a decal rather than carved.

Unknown cigar maker in the 1940’s for

Comision Nacional de Propaganda y Defensa del Tabaco Habano

Five of these lovely boxes decorated with the Cuban national emblem have appeared on eBay. None are marked with a cigar maker, suggesting these were intended as factory-made after-market humidors, perhaps for the tourist trade.

This example is the only one of them carved as having been used by the Comision Nacional de Propaganda y Defensa del Tabaco Habano, presumably as a gift or to hold give-away cigars at official displays.

Flor de Fonseca by F.E. Fonseca

Opening factories in New York City (at age 20) and Havana (4 years later), F.E. Fonseca (1868-1929) specialized in private brands. He was known as a tobacco expert and became a friend of politicos and other celebrities worldwide. Among smokers who commissioned him to make their private brands were Edward VII of England and Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. Can you decipher the stylized monogram? c1910

Nee incorrectly reports Fonseca dying in 1930.

I own his 1929 obituary.

La Española de Fueyo y Ca.

Little is known about this brand or the reason for this stunning 16” carved chest with its art nouveau woman design. The monogram is unidentified.

Rotary Convention gift by El Rey del Mundo 1928

In March of 1928, Rotary International held their convention in Havana. G. Franklin Lenz gave these book shaped curved spine beauties as gifts to (some?) attendees. Cigars by El Rey del Mundo, a prominent brand founded in 1848. The name translates “King of the World” and in the 1950’s it was considered to be the most expensive cigar in the world and a favorite of the very wealthy.

Particulares de Segundo Lopez y Ca. c1900

Derecho Internacional de T.D.L. c1900

Efforts to identify the brand and maker have so far been unsuccessful. Information welcome. This was my second Cuban chest, obtained at Reningers Pennsylvania Extravaganza in the mid 1970’s for $40.

La Escepcion de Jose Gener 1870’s

One of Cuba’s more important 19th century brands packed in a gorgeous serpentine chest in Chippendale style. The brand was created in the 1850’s by Jose Gener y Batet and has been a ‘sister’ brand to HOYO DE MONTERREY. c1875

H de Cabañas y Carbajal 1850’s

Wooden box with heavy black paint? with gold trim, probably stenciled.

Apparently made for the general trade, but held high quality expensive cigars. c1850.

This brand was registered officially in 1810, though some reports says it was in business in the 1790’s. In 1848 the brand obtained its present name. H refers to Hija (daughter).

The brand was purchased by the Tobacco Trust, then resold in 1932 to Tabacalera Cubana.

President Batista chest by H. Upmann

Continual U.S. behind-the-scenes intervention, near civil war, some strikes, and a murder or two during the 1930’s let the U.S. backed Gen. Fulgencia Batista become in charge of the government and set up a series of puppet presi-dents until 1940 when he him-self was elected president and began to orchestrate a regime of graft and corruption on a scale previously unknown in a nation with 450 years of serious practice.

Batista did make an effort to improve conditions for Cubans other than himself, sponsoring welfare laws, public works improvements, pensions and insurance for government workers, minimum wage laws, rural schools and other reforms, personally pocketing only a “reasonable share” of the various earmarked funds.

Rather than hold an election in 1952, Batista declared himself President in violation of the Cuban Constitution. He pledged order, stability and no more labor unrest, music to the ears of the U.S. government and businessmen as well as most Cubans. So cynical had the Cuban population become about its own government, that there was little opposition when Batista simply took over, promising to hold free elections again, some time down the road. Cuba’s last President before Castro’s revolution, Batista smoked cigars by H. Upmann, founded in 1844.

President Menocal chest by Punch

In 1913 conservative General Mario G. Menocal was elected due largely to divisiveness among the opposition. Paternalistic in an “el patron” tradition, among many other accomplishments, Menocal unified the armed forces, regulated tobacco exportation, and otherwise appealed to a large segment of the working class despite his aristocratic, mill operator and military background. After 420 years of Spanish, English and U.S. rule he established a Cuban monetary system. Until then, Spanish, English, French and American money were accepted currency for daily trade. Huge numbers of small denomination coins were issued as all but the wealthiest bought life’s necessities on a day by day basis. His custom chest held 25 cigars by PUNCH, a brand first registered in 1840. Luis Corujo took over the brand in 1874.

President Gomez chest by Hoyo de Monterrey

Jose Miguel Gomez, running an orderly and somewhat anti-foreigner campaign, became the second President of Cuba in 1909. After Gomez was elected U.S. troops once again left Cuba to the Cubans. Gomez took over a Cuba largely physically recovered from the recent wars, with a prosperous economy, and a moderate but not insurmountable public debt. Gomez was congenial and popular, and joined the tradition established by Cuban leaders for the previous 400 years by becoming rich in office and helping friends share the profits.

This exquisite chest was custom made for him with cigars by HOYO de MONTERREY.

La Corona cabinet 1903

This LA CORONA 5,000 cigar cabinet was ordered from Cuba by a Buffalo, NY, tobacconist in 1903. I bought it from his descendants 80 some years later. Cigars were bundled in ruedas (wheels) of 25 and stood on end.

Photo by Tom Somerville.

I bought this by mail in 1985. 23 years later it is still sitting in Buffalo and I haven’t actually taken possession. I’d love to get it anywhere in  California. If you have a van and references and are heading this way, drop me a line.

Unidentified Cuban cigar company 1919

Gesso-covered and painted box used for

an assortment of different frontmarks by an unidentified Cuban cigar maker in 1919. Box measures 10” x 12” and less than 2” thick.

C.E. Beck y Ca. 1915

C.E. Beck was one of the independent Cuban makers in the early days of “free” Cuba. This large reusable attache case measures 10” x 15.5” and is very rare.

Jose Piedra billiard table

Great box of 50 cigars under a billiard table.

Date unknown. Piedra’s logo changed little over the years so is little help.

Jose Piedra “mechanical” gem

Unusual ‘mechanical’ which coverts cigars laying flat into uprights. Boxes that have pivots or hinges other than the lid are called mechanicals.

Date unknown but believed to be relatively new compared to other boxes in this exhibit.

Unidentified Cuban cigar maker 1920’s

During the 1920’s the card game of bridge became a national fad. An unidentified Cuban cigar company responded with a Craftsman style table box complete with 50 cigars, two different scoring charts, and a place for a deck of cards.

Unidentified Cuban cigar maker c1900

Certainly not a chest or cabinet, but an irresistible Cuban novelty.

Boxes designed to be used for another purpose after emptied are called, logically, “reusables.”

This photo album box was made in bright blue as well as green and brown. At least two different labels are known, tho both are decorated with lace. Stains in the inner liner indicate that 12 cigars were packed in the box.

Using lace for decorating goes back at least as far as the 1870’s in the U.S., perhaps earlier in Cuba. At some future date, I hope to put up an exhibit of various uses of lace in cigar boxes.

Por Larrañaga tobacco bale 1906

Distinctive limited edition tobacco bale box used by Por Larrañaga just after the turn of the century. Measures 7” x 7.5” x 4.5” and has a relatively plain Larrañaga paper label inside.

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NCM Home Cuba Cuban boxes Types of Wooden Boxes

Cohiba bohio

Post-revolution box which originally held COHIBA cigars, the brand created for Fidel Castro by Eduardo Rivera. Though Rivera’s cigars hadn’t yet been given a name, as early as 1964 Castro used COHIBAS as gifts for heads of state and other dignitaries. In 1966 Rivera’s personal assistant, Celia Sanchez, christened the brand with the name COHIBA, allegedly what the Taino Indians called cigars in pre-Columbian days. Bands were custom created for recipients. This “bohio” (native hut) design could hold up to 250 cigars and was usually given to heads of state. Alas, I missed my opportunity and this box is not in the NCM collection.

El Aguila del Oro de Bock y Cia. 1880’s

Another of Cuba’s more impor-tant brands, it was purchased by the Tobacco Trust in the early 1900s and ultimately moved to New Jersey in the 1930’s. Bock is frequently credited with introducing the idea of cigar bands on Cuban cigars to fight widespread counterfeiting in Europe.

This unusual chest with its lovely cabinetry held only ten, most likely very expensive, cigars.

Romeo y Julieta de Alvarez y Garcia c1900

Another of Cuba’s more important and long lasting export brands was registered in 1873, though believed by some scholars to date back to the 1850s. The Frontmark on this stunning bird-covered chest is Seleccion No. 3.

This beautiful box is believed to date shortly before the brand was sold to the Tobacco Trust in 1903.

Por Larrañaga cabinet early 1900’s

All Cuban export companies at one time or another used large chests for shipping an assortment of from 1,000 to 10,000 cigars to select retailers or to private individuals. This one is 24” wide, 26.5” tall and 9.5” front to back and probably held 1,000 cigars packed in tied bundles standing on end.

Magazine ad depictions of full cabinets 1910±

Clockwise from top left [K0953] [K0905] [K0903]

Jose Piedra chest

Established in 1880, the Jose Piedra brand was once the best known Cuban cigar outside Havana. Very popular in the U.S. right up until the embargo, the brand was discontinued, then reintroduced in Cuba. Cigars, these included, were made of Remedios tobacco in the Camajuani area of Cuba. The inlaid name on top is Elda Gils; the inside metal plate has the name Dr. Rafael Angulo.

Personalized chests

Mike Todd is congratulated by H. Upmann on the 1st anniversary of his movie “Around the World in 80 Days” with a giant person-alized box of, what else, H. Upmann cigars.

[11682]

Does anyone know the whereabouts of this box today?