What are the chances?

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

 

[raggie]

Those are some extra long tootsie rolls!

[NSXCIGAR]

Looks like there's a bit of variation in wrapper shades. Possibly a refiled box, possibly genuine cigars. But this box isn't one I'd pursue because of that. 

[PartagasIV]

The 'P' must already be in the 'V', as I'm guessing it was supposed to be stamped for Carlos Baliño factory.

[Chas.Alpha]

Same as the Vikings winning the Super Bowl? 🤣

[JohnS]

It it's real, then it's an incredible find...that's for sure!

[RDB]

I’ve got no experience with this kind of thing, but am curious. Would we expect age to bring out more variation in wrapper shades? After all, wrappers do change quite a lot with time.

[PigFish]

This is Cuba! 

[Namisgr11]

I don't have the vast experience buying boxes that so many of you do, but it looks striking that the factory code and date stamp are so colorful, crisp, and without sign of fading over the 22 years since the box may have been stamped.

[gormag38]

Boy it's tough to say with this one. There's definitely some wrapper color variation...but that could very easily be Cuban QC and or time. I believe that was indeed a valid box code at the time but it does look very CRISP as @Namisgr11 had mentioned above. 

I'd like to see a close up of the bands/outer box and seal. But helluva find if legit

[Perla]

Never came across of VEL boxcode and the creepy 02 will push me away. 
I would walk away even if everything is legit and I got a hen’s teeth in my hand. 

[Jimmy2]

I would say with the age and oils from inside the cigar over time reaching the finished leaf would give some different shades..

Also changes in Humidity and Temp over time would affect the finished wrapper color also .. 

 

if real .. 

[Puros Y Vino]

Interesting. I have an empty, counterfeit A box from this era. This cigar was probably worth the effort to fake back then. That"02" really is the sole marker that would make me think twice as is the variance. I recall seeing a 2000 A box in the CDG Paris airport around 2011. The cigars were in cello and it was yellowed over time. Was that standard packaging for the A back then? Would it have been ditched by 2002?

[Salomones]

VEL was from 2000 till 2003 factory Quivican in Province Havanna.

[Ford2112]

So are these legit?