Former SC Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer selling Cuban cigars gifted by Castro

[El Presidente]

What would you pay for them 

 

 

Former SC Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer selling Cuban cigars gifted by Castro in 2004 trade visit

• By Schuyler Kropf [email protected]
• May 6, 2019 Updated 21 min ago

 

 

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Cuban President Fidel Castro speaks to Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in 2004 in Havana, Cuba on Jan. 9, 2004 and into Jan. 10. Bauer is now selling cigars Castro gave him. File/Wade Spees/Staff

 

In 2004, former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer was part of a landmark South Carolina trade trip to Cuba where he met with communist dictator Fidel Castro.

When the trip ended, Castro gave members of the delegation autographed boxes of treasured Cuban cigars.

Bauer is now selling the 15-year-old Havana smokes gifted from Fidel’s hand.

Bauer’s box of 25 handmade Cuban cigars is being advertised on the RR Auction of Boston website as part of a 17-day auction that ends Wednesday.

Estimated value: $10,000-plus.

Bauer said the cigars had been sitting in a closet since the Havana trip, which is why he is trying to get rid of them now.

“I’m not a smoker so they don’t mean much to you,” he told The Post and Courier.

Bauer, a Republican who left office in 2011 after serving two terms, said he saw nothing wrong about selling cigars that came to him as a gift from a foreign head of state. They were gifted during an agricultural-oriented trade mission to boost South Carolina goods.

Bauer estimated their value at the time to be about $50, he said during a phone interview Monday, and if they increased in value since then, that is the economics of saving his full box versus those who smoked theirs, he said. 

The State Ethics Commission declined to address specifics about Bauer’s intentions but did supply a copy of a 2002 advisory opinion stating officials’ obligation to disclose any gift they receive at the time they get it. It does not address the future selling of an item.

Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction, said the most significant value of the cigars is that they came directly from Castro. Few Americans ever came in contact with Castro during his reign. That makes the South Carolina delegation’s 2004 visit an important part of their back story, he said.

 

It’s part of their “panache,” he said. They are not considered in good smoking condition.

The RR Auction site describes Bauer’s cigars as: 

“Wooden Cohiba Lanceros cigar box containing 25 handmade Cuban cigars, measuring 8.5 x 8.5 x 1.75, prominently signed on the lid in black felt tip by Fidel Castro. The corner of the lid bears a “Habanos” label, and the box is stamped on the bottom, “Habanos S.A., Hecho en Cuba, Totalmente a mano, MKO DIC 03.”

Additionally it reads “The box has all 25 original Cohiba Lancero cigars inside, famous as Castro’s favorite type. In fine condition, with some irregular ink adhesion due to the wooden surface.”

Bauer supplied a letter confirming the box’s provenance, the site said.

The 2004 trip was a trade mission that included a delegation of South Carolina elected officials and businessmen. At the time, it was reported they had secured a commitment from the Cuban government to purchase $10 million worth of agricultural products from South Carolina’s farmers. 

The S.C. Department of Agriculture’s media office did not immediately have information about the Cuba-South Carolina relationship from that time.

The Post and Courier sent a reporter along on the four-day trip, who noted Bauer found Castro to be “disarming and sincere.”

Also taking part were then-Commissioner of Agriculture Charles R. Sharpe, then-state Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, and executives of Maybank Shipping.

 

Castro, 77 at the time, spoke in Spanish and showed up in his signature green military-style uniform. The meeting went on for hours late into the night.

“I don’t eat much, and I drink little. I drink a little bit of wine because it has antioxidants,” Castro said through an interpreter. “I think it is very important to exercise your mind. A lot of people when they retire, they collapse. They grow old. I’m excited about my work.”

The newspaper also noted, “Before Castro was whisked away to one of the waiting Mercedes, he and the delegation exchanged gifts — a crystal candelabra and cuff links with the state seal for the feisty Cuban and Cohiba cigars in Castro-autographed wooden boxes for the state officials.”

Livingston said Bauer is the one who reached out to them looking to make a sale of the stored cigars.

The most likely buyer will be someone who is a collector, Livingston said, and who wants to treat the cigars like the “artifact” they are from one of the most important figures of the 20th century.

That means getting them safely into a humidor.

The most recent bid as of midday Monday for the box was $2,390, though Livingston said he expects that to go up closer to the Wednesday 7 p.m. cutoff time.

The Post and Courier report from the trip did mention Bauer trying to engage with the Cuban leader, who died in November 2016.

For instance, Bauer attempted to steer Castro toward addressing the U.S. embargo of the island and the George W. Bush administration. Castro answered with comments on entirely different topics.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

I'm not sure how this is legal. All Cuban products in the US must have been brought back for personal use or re-gifting only, even diplomatic gifts. No Cuban good can be sold under any circumstances. Unless the auction is being conducted outside the US, but they appear to be in Boston.

Would hate to pay $10k only to have the OFAC knock on my door the next day...

[inter4alia]

They've been sitting in a closet all this time. What a shame. 

[LLC]

They've been sitting in a closet all this time. What a shame. 

Agree. What a waste.


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[TBird55]

Says a lot about the gentleman's character, selling a gift.

[LLC]

Says a lot about the gentleman's character, selling a gift.

Sure does. If you don’t want it, then how about donating it to a charity or fundraiser to auction. That would also say a lot about ones character.


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[BrightonCorgi]

Cigars look like they have not been stored so well.

[smokum]

15 hours ago, inter4alia said:

They've been sitting in a closet all this time. What a shame. 

Must be dried out like turds. He is a politician. His only focus is his own benefit.

[cigcars]

       *Soooo glad to see you all's comments about this attempted "transaction" here in the States - where it's not supposed to be allowed according to the U.S. Treasury and "Trading With The Enemy(s) Act."  You and I wouldn't even be able to verbalize this action, let alone get involved in "selling Cuban products" either at home or even abroad. Not to mention the fact that those smokes have been kept in God knows WHAT kind of conditions...  

[Elvis]

Pathetic. On so many levels.

[La_Tigre]

This investigation should be turned over to @PigFish...?