Selling Smoke
Selling Smoke

How Canadian Cigar Boxes Pitched Their Wares  1883-1935

Buyer Enjoy-Buyer Beware
 Threats, Slogans, Guarantees

Some manufacturers took the hard sell to new heights with multiple messages on their labels. The labels went to great lengths—of text—to convince the smoker that the cigars in THIS box were the genuine article and of the highest quality—and woe to fakers.

Cigar box label : Tuckett's Preferred   On this ca. 1915 label, Tuckett’s certifies that the cigars contained herein are not only authentic, but "made by hand by men only." Seven years later, the manufacturer modified the label to read, "made by hand by expert cigar makers." This change may signal the acceptance of women cigar makers in the factory—or the increasing reliance on young (male) apprentices who were paid low wages so manufacturers could make a profit in the shrinking cigar market.
Tuckett's Preferred
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 5 IRD 17 Series of 1915
Tuckett’s, Montreal, Que.
CMC D-13660 | D2002-013729
Cigar box label : Grand Master  
Grand Master
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 6 IRD 17 Series of 1915
S. Davis & Sons, Ltd., Montreal, Que.
CMC 2004.38.23 | D2004-19407
Cigar box label : Daily Double  
Daily Double
Paper-covered cardboard box (50)
Factory 2 Port 23-D Series C
Imperial Tobacco Company, Ltd., Montreal, Que.
CMC 2004.38.58 | D2004-19301
Cigar box label : El Presidente   Because cigars were often made by immigrants and in sweatshop or home workplaces, it was tempting for other cigar makers to play the "sanitation" card in touting their own goods. Here, W.R. Webster proclaims that his cigars are "made by clean hands" and "under strictly hygienic principles."
El Presidente
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 2 IRD 10 Series of 1897
W.R. Webster & Co., Sherbrooke, Que.
CMC 2004.38.60 | D2004-19320
Eddy Echenberg Collection
Cigar box label : Queens  
Queens
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 1 Port 10-C Series of 1915
A. & I. Isaacs, Saint John, N.B.
CMC 2004.38.22 |
Cigar box label : Stonewall Jackson   To the customer: two proofs (says the label) guarantee you’re buying the genuine article—a ribbon through the cigar and a signature on the label. And to the seller: you will be fined if you sell a different cigar out of this box.
Stonewall Jackson
Paper-covered cardboard box (50)
Factory 11 Port 50-E Series of 1915
Likely General Cigar Co., Toronto, Ont.
CMC 2001.185.62 | S2002-7013
Cigar box label : Seven Twenty Four   A large sticker on the outer box lid reads: "Every cigar herein contained, warranted all imported tobacco and strictly hand made. Satisfaction guaranteed, or goods can be returned. The Sherbrooke Cigar Co., Sherbrooke, Que."
Seven Twenty Four
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 2 IRD 10 Series of 1897
W.R. Webster & Co., Sherbrooke, Que.
CMC 2004.38.60 | D2004-19819
Eddy Echenberg Collection
Cigar box label : Shaw's Single Binder  
Shaw's Single Binder
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 2 IRD 10 Series of 1897
W.R. Webster & Co., Sherbrooke, Que.
CMC 2004.38.50 | S2004-244
Eddy Echenberg Collection
Cigar box label : The Trump Cigar  
The Trump Cigar
Trimmed nailed wood box (50)
Factory 2 IRD 10 Series of 1897
W.R. Webster & Co., Sherbrooke, Que.
CMC 2004.38.50 | D2002-013765
Eddy Echenberg Collection
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