The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09
RICH TOBACCO BUYERS
One Millionaire Spends $4,000 Year
for Supplies

'eToby Ernst" in Pearson's Weekly.
Millionaires who smoke are fine custom
ers for the tobacconists whom they pat
ronize. I have a customer, well known
millionaire, who spends from $1,000 to $1,000
a year with me. import special brand
of cigar for him which costs him about
los Sd. apiece, and he takes eight boxes
of these in the year, containing 250 each,
which stands him about R1000.
I believe he gives most of them away
to his friends, for he Is not heavy cigar
smoker by any means. He chiefly smokes
a pipe, and some of the pipes he has pur-
chased are worth q good deal of money.
I would, of course, never think of stock
ing the sort of pipes he buys for ordinary
sale. 1 had pipe made for him last year
which cost him 500 gulneas. 1t was d
long hookah with a pure amber bowl In
cased in gold, beautifully ornamented with
| embossed grotesque figures.
| For his collection of pipes he was Of
| fered e12,000.
| I have another enormously rich GUS
| toner who collects tobacco Jars; he has
often paid me a700 or es00 for an old to-
bacco jar. I am continually on the look
out for old jars for him, and when l
come across the sort of thing I know he
wants I purchase 1t straight away But
this customer is not a very heavy smoker
and his tobacco bill In the year is not
more than that of any ordinary individual
| / have the custom of q well known
| banker who uses new cigar holder every
| day. Each costs him from 30s to gum
/ cas-; they are made of pure amber and
are gold mounted; believe he sells
| large quantity of the used ones every
year for about a sixth Of what he pays
| for them.
| Mr.. Vanderbilt, though he smokes very
little himself, believe, buys cigars which
cost him couple Of guneas apiece. The
| tobacco is, of course, expressly grown for
these cigars, and they are manufactured
| by q special and highly expensive pro-
cess. I was told on good authority that
his cigars cost the famous American mill
! lonaire close on $1,000 a year. No one in
| this country, of course, spends anything
| like this sum on cigars
| The late King Edward was very good
customer to the tobacco merchants who
| were honored with his custom, but I do
| not think he ever paid more than guinea
for a special cigar, and, Of course, he fire.
| quently smoked cigars that cost far less.
| His majesty had in his possession what
was probably the most valuable cigar-
box in the world it was given to him a
few years before his death by a wealthy
| friend.
| The box was 70 inches by and inches
In depth. It was made of solid gold
FURNISHED in tho interior and beautifully
designed outside. The cover bore royal
crown with the letters "E. r." underneath
the crown, the letters shown being COM
posed entirely of magnificent diamonds
The box is certainly worth seven or eight
thousand pounds.
! OF late years several wealthy ladies
have become rather good customers of the
| tobacco merchant. l have the custom of
titled lady, who is one of the best known
nostesses in society, who buys couple
# hundred cigarettes from me every week
hch cost her guneas. They are espe-
tally made for sher from a very expen-
i've brand of Turkish tobacco, and with
zach box of cigarettes she has 100 little
~od paper holders.
The lady Is not by any means a heavy
cigarette smoker, and only buys the cigar
ties for her guests; but know of several
! ladies' in society who smoke 40 or so
cigarettes a day. have the custom of
4 very wealthy elderly lady, who took to
cigarette smoking a year or SO ago, and
she now consumes 800 cigarettes week.