Los Angeles herald., 1890-09-30
A CIGAR BOX'S STAMPS.
THEY GIVE INFORMATION REGARD
ING THE CIGAR INSIDE.

You to Take Heed OF the various
Brands and LabeIs-what Most of tho
Colored Posters Mean-Home Brands.
The interior wrappings and Autographs
tell about the cigar when the box is opened
but more can be told about it from the
outside. 1t requires somewhat close OBJ
servation to note all the marks on a cigar
box. On box Of imported cigars, for in
stance, there is branded the name of the
manufacturer. That is usually the name
of some factory and the place where the
factory is. The name of the factory gives
an indication about its location. The brand
"Campa Oral de Tabaco del Filipinas'
shows Enthusiastically where the cigars that
were put in that box were made, unless
the brand is counterfeit 1t is seldom
that counterfeit brands are found on i'm
ported cigars, as the import stamp is a
guarantee that the cigar has gone through
the custom house. This stamp is put on
first Each of the Havana factories has
its stamp, the Garcia, the Clay, the Caro-
lima, or whatever it may be, on the lid of
the box. 1t may be hid afterward by the
revenue stamp and Autographs, but the
first thing done is to brand that name on.
The Havana cigars frequently have
stamped on them also "Habana," with the
Spanish abbreviation designatingthe qua.-
ity of tobacco or the size This is put on
when the boxes are sorted out to be filed;
the stamp of the factory is put on them in
the first place. This stamp also is not
branded like the factory stamp, but is put
on with stencil. The name of the fac
tory can not be taken off without planning
into the lid, but the brand of the quality
and color can.
Before the cigars are put in the box is fur
ther branded with the color, "claro," color
ado claro," colorado, colorado maduro,"
s'maduro," or, as known to Americans, very
mild, mild medium, fairly strong and
strong. These are not enough grades to
mark the various distinctions in color and
strength, but they are generally approx
mated. Some brands Of colorado claro CT
gars are milder than the claro cigars of
other brands, but the mildest ones are al
ways put into the claro boxes There has
been some change in the strictness of
marking in recent years caused by the
fact that the American trade prefers
colorado claro and claro to the maduro
and colorado maduro.
When the box has been marked in this
way it is filed and the final tacks are put
in. The manufacturer usually then pastes
SOut dQNtTUlScIuSuUS Oh III III OTuer UQdU
the box may not be opened and other cigars
substituted without it's being evident to
the purchaser. Manufacturers have labels
which they paste over the seams, which
contain advertisements and notices of va
rious kinds. If the manufacturer has taken
prizes at any international exhibition fac
SMILES of the medals will probably be
found on the labels. Usually there is
picture of the factory with the firm name,
coat-of-arms and other designs In this
shape the box is ready to be sent here.
1t arrives with tens of thousands of other
boxes and is examined by an inspector.
He pastes over it the import stamp so that
the box cannot be opened without destroy
ing the stamp. The import stamp certifies
to the number of cigars in the box and that
the tax is paid. Besides that there are
blank spaces on the stamp which the in
spector fills out with stencil
When filled up the stamp shows not only
that the cigars went through the custom
house, but the steamer in which they came,
the port at which they were entered, the
date on which they were received and
stamped, and the name of the inspector
who stamped them. This is an unfailing
certificate of the length of time the cigar
has been in the country. The stamps are
finely made, in order to prevent counter
felt; there is more tracery and vignette
work than on the ordinary revenue stamp.
When the import stamp has been pasted
on the box the internal revenue stamp is
put on before the cigars can be sold. The
internal revenue stamp is a cheaper affair
on bluish-green paper. 1t is Cancelled at
the same time that it is put on, and with
stamp which, if it were plain, might show
the date; but this stamping is done much
more hastily, and does not aid in the his
tory of the cigar.
A cigar box with an internal revenue
stamp on it and no import stamp does not
once in $4,000 times contain imported
cigars, struggled or otherwise. Some of
the fictitious smugglers who go around
among downtown offices and peddle cigars
which they say are imported produce them
in boxes with only the internal revenue
stamp on. Struggled cigars have no
stamps whatever. Any cigars that go
through the custom house have the import
ed stamp and the internal revenue stamp
both.
A cigar which has only an internal rev.
enue stamp has been stamped at some do
nestle factory. If it was struggled it was
taken TO factory to be stamped, which
would be foolishness and waste of money
on the part of the smuggler, and besides
he would run great deal of risk, as the
internal revenue officer who stamped the
box could readily tell, if he was an expert
in his business, the difference between the
boxes used in the Havana trade and the
boxes used in the domestic trade. There
are details in the way of packing, litho-
graphing and branding which show unmis-
takably, unless they are very cleverly coun-
forfeited.
/, A man who is going to buy cigars and
wants to be sure of what he is getting can
tell by the box if it has not been opened.
1t is more risk to take an opened box, for
some INSCRIPTIONS dealers will put cheap
-er cigars into box which held high grade
cigars and sell them as imported cigars.
Still these dealers often make mistakes, as
sit is hard for them to get the same size OF
domestic cigars and the same color. If a
man is buying what is said to be an i'm
ported cigar, and sees that the cigar is
dark while the box is marked claro, he
may be sure that there is some imposition
somewhere, probably that the dealer in re-
filing the box was not careful enough to
put in cigars of the same color But the
best way to do is to examine the box first
and then to have the dealer open it after
ward to see if the cigars are what is wanted.
The age of the cigar can be told from the
import stamp, the color from the brand on
the back of the box, the factory from the
factory brand and the shape from the size