Believe it or not?

[El Presidente]

 

600 Year Old Mayan Cigars - $507,000

In April of 2012, a team of archeologists from Tampa University working in the southeast Guatemala unearthed a collection of over 800 pre-Columbian cigars, believed to be at least 600 years old.

Archeologist Dr. Adam Fullerton commented on the discovery, saying he "was astonished by their condition," but "not all that surprised" in finding them. "This evidence confirms Mayan tobacco use," he said, adding, "We were just lucky to find the 'smoking gun.'"

The cigars were buried several feet below the cave surface in sealed clay pots, each of which bore syllabic glyphs labeling the contents as sicars, meaning, ‘to smoke rolled tobacco leaves.’

Close examination revealed that due to the conditions within the cave where they were discovered, the cigars were fit for human consumption, after which collectors and enthusiasts were quick to suggest the auction of the collection. 

The collection was finally auctioned, selling for a total $507,000 for the entire collection, to Gary Liotta, owner of Santiago Cigar Factory.

 

[Ford2112]

Hopefully there will be some footage and photos of these!

[Fuzz]

"Upon closer inspection, scientists discovered that the syllabic glyphs were not etched correctly on the bottom of the pots. Proving, even 600 years ago, people were making fake cigars...."

[Habana Mike]

$633/stick - I've seen other sticks go higher.

Would be interesting to try one.

[Drguano]

The date on the story was April 2012. I wonder what day in April…

[El Presidente]

3 minutes ago, Drguano said:

The date on the story was April 2012. I wonder what day in April…

...you sleuth you ....

[...]

"Close examination revealed that due to the conditions within the cave where they were discovered, the cigars were fit for human consumption"

Wonder if the archaeologists also officially discovered plume as a result of this dig?

[BrightonCorgi]

Did one get smoked?

[Drguano]

Boveda just sent me an email about this. The subject line was:

What’s the Most Expensive Cigar You’ve Smoked?

HISTORY’S HIGHEST BID: THE MAYAN SICARS

One of the priciest cigars went straight to auction, never making it to a tobacconist’s cabinet or online retailer.

As the premier auction house Sotheby’s notes, the Mayan Sicars are the most expensive cigars ever purchased (notice the caveat “purchased.” Skip to the section below for the most expensive ever produced). These 600-year-old cigars commanded a whopping $507,000 at auction in 2012, a testament to their rarity and unique history. Archaeologists unearthed the ultra-rare cigars from a village in Guatemala, where they’d been (somehow) well-preserved over the centuries in a cave—pushing the limits of how long cigars last.

[Li Bai]

20 minutes ago, Drguano said:

Boveda just sent me an email about this. The subject line was:

What’s the Most Expensive Cigar You’ve Smoked?

HISTORY’S HIGHEST BID: THE MAYAN SICARS

One of the priciest cigars went straight to auction, never making it to a tobacconist’s cabinet or online retailer.

As the premier auction house Sotheby’s notes, the Mayan Sicars are the most expensive cigars ever purchased (notice the caveat “purchased.” Skip to the section below for the most expensive ever produced). These 600-year-old cigars commanded a whopping $507,000 at auction in 2012, a testament to their rarity and unique history. Archaeologists unearthed the ultra-rare cigars from a village in Guatemala, where they’d been (somehow) well-preserved over the centuries in a cave—pushing the limits of how long cigars last.

Was it to react to JCNewman's announcement earlier this week ? 

It's funny we were talking about these in another thread and I think it's @Puros Y Vino who said those sicars were an hoax 🤔