DATING CIGAR BOXES
There are two kinds of information on every cigar box:
information that is [1] optional and [2] that required by law.
Optional information includes advertising, guarantees, slogans, ingredients lists, copyright and registration dates, type of labor, type of tobacco, source of tobacco, retail price and the like. Everything optional was exactly that. Pictures were optional, Text was optional. Truth was optional. The latter was abused unmercifully by this creative and opportunistic industry.
When it came to decorating a box with claims, there were no restrictions or guidelines. Anything went. “Key West Favorite Cigars” (according to the label on the inside lid) were made by the “New York Cigar Factory” (according to a label on the bottom) but the cigar maker’s I.D. (required by law) identifies the cigars as having been made in Factory 978, 9th tax district of PA, a tiny one-man factory owned by Fred Runkle in Red Lion, the heart of the nation’s cheap cigar district.
Only required information can be trusted to be true.
OK. What information is required?
Tax laws required all cigar boxes made in the U.S. to have:
[1] tax stamps (1863-1959),
[2] cigar maker I.D.’s (1866-1960’s),
[3] caution notices (1868-1959)
[4] tax paid notices (1917-1959)
When you want to KNOW how old a box is, who made the cigars, and where their factory was, ONLY information required by law can be counted on as accurate.
Since the Feds kept changing the law (what a surprise!) Federal requirements are useful for dating a box. Regulations governing cigar boxes changed in 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866,
1868, 1869, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1875, 1878, 1879, 1883, 1891, 1895, 1897, 1898, 1901, 1904, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1942, 1946, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1976 and a few other times.
Fortunately you don’t have to memorize
them all. A few rules made by a few laws
are all that’s needed to date boxes.
I tried to make them easy to use
and understand by covering the various
government mandates in separate exhibits.
Many Museum visitors are able to get all they need in the Short Form Dating Guide at left.
Good Luck.
Dating Cigar Boxes
A National Cigar Museum EXCLUSIVE Gallery
© Tony Hyman
This Exhibit includes
everything you need
to date cigar boxes
made 1860-1960.
Don’t be fooled by
these false dates:
Learn the real date here.
Most people find dating questions answered in:
If that doesn’t answer your question, try these next.
1st time all in color
1st time all in color
Six types explained
Caution Notices
1917-1919-1942 types
National what?
Seen 1st time anywhere
If exported to the US
Not as easy
Stamp related articles
Dating by Box Style
scheduled for 2009
Tony Hyman’s
Dating Guide for people who like things very very simple.
12 things to look at:
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1.Is the Caution Notice printed on the box bottom or pasted on? If printed on, it’s after 1910.
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2.Is there a Tax Class Notice? If yes, it’s 1917-1959.
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3.Is the tax stamp about 4” long? If yes, it’s 1916-1959.
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4.Does 4” stamp picture a man? If yes, it’s 1942-1959.
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5.Is tax stamp orange on blue? If yes, it’s 1919-1939.
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6.Is the tax stamp about 8” long, black on blue with portrait? If yes, it’s 1910-1915.
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7.Is the tax stamp 10”+ long? If yes, it’s before 1910.
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8.Is the stamp dated 1883? . If yes it dates 1883-1898.
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9.Is the portrait other than Clay? If yes, it dates before 1878.
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10.Is there a NRA eagle or stamp? If yes, it dates 1934-35.
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11.Is the letter T or TP part of the Factory number? If yes, it dates after 1945, and probably after 1960.
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12.Were the cigars from Jamaica, Canary Islands or any Central American country? If yes, it dates after 1960.
Can you date this cigar box? It’s actually easy.
1900’s? 1910’s? 1920’s? 1930’s? 1940’s? 1950’s?
You’ll know which decade after you see this exhibit.
