Calling FOH Colombos: Guess this box?

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

[JPark3]

Romeos?

[REesq]

That’s my guess as well. 

[El Presidente]

2 hours ago, JPark3 said:

Romeos?

[ElLoboLoco]

Let me finish this off, Cubans and perfecto shape. Can we get a mod to lock this solved mystery thread up? 😂😜

[JPark3]

Hahaha, I could've sworn there was an old RyJ perfecto line called Romeos!

[cigaraholic]

They’re Perfect!

[ATGroom]

7 hours ago, JPark3 said:

Hahaha, I could've sworn there was an old RyJ perfecto line called Romeos!

There was indeed an old RyJ perfecto called Romeos https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/romeo-y-julieta/romeos

But the cigars in the picture are shorter than Romeos. I'd say Celestiales Finos. Or maybe Aguilas.

[GP012]

7 hours ago, JPark3 said:

Hahaha, I could've sworn there was an old RyJ perfecto line called Romeos!

There was, although the Romeos vitola seems longer than the ones shown here. Maybe the other perfecto, the Aguilas or Celestiales Finos?

[JPark3]

6 hours ago, ATGroom said:

There was indeed an old RyJ perfecto called Romeos https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/romeo-y-julieta/romeos

But the cigars in the picture are shorter than Romeos. I'd say Celestiales Finos. Or maybe Aguilas.

 

6 hours ago, GP012 said:

There was, although the Romeos vitola seems longer than the ones shown here. Maybe the other perfecto, the Aguilas or Celestiales Finos?

Ah, yeah they do seem a bit shorter, lack of cellophane might have thrown me off.

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

[JohnS]

You'd think that would settle the matter, except for the fact that the Romeo y Julieta Excepcionales was a machine-made Petit Coronas and not a Perfecto. Is this a case of 'Cuban being Cuba' or something else?

[El Presidente]

25 minutes ago, JohnS said:

You'd think that would settle the matter, except for the fact that the Romeo y Julieta Excepcionales was a machine-made Petit Coronas and not a Perfecto. Is this a case of 'Cuban being Cuba' or something else?

Good pick up John!

[ATGroom]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

You'd think that would settle the matter, except for the fact that the Romeo y Julieta Excepcionales was a machine-made Petit Coronas and not a Perfecto. Is this a case of 'Cuban being Cuba' or something else?

I'd say the key here is the "Mark's Seleccion Especial".

It's a custom box for a shop or club (Mark's Club in London?). They likely chose a standard size like Celestiales Finos or Aguilas and called it Excepcionales when sold under their label.

[Ford2112]

10 hours ago, ATGroom said:

I'd say the key here is the "Mark's Seleccion Especial".

It's a custom box for a shop or club (Mark's Club in London?). 

Mark Twain

[Fugu]

On 7/6/2026 at 2:37 AM, El Presidente said:

 

On 7/6/2026 at 3:49 AM, ATGroom said:

There was indeed an old RyJ perfecto called Romeos https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/romeo-y-julieta/romeos

But the cigars in the picture are shorter than Romeos. I'd say Celestiales Finos. Or maybe Aguilas.

Yup, and current day‘s Distinguidos is the old Romeo format.

[Fugu]

On 7/6/2026 at 6:51 PM, JohnS said:

You'd think that would settle the matter, except for the fact that the Romeo y Julieta Excepcionales was a machine-made Petit Coronas and not a Perfecto. Is this a case of 'Cuban being Cuba' or something else?

This is an old(er) box, John. From the make-up and markings I‘d put this in the 30s/40s era. A time when the (vast) majority of vitolas still had been figurados / torpedo-shaped. The name "Exceptionales“ you find way back in the old catalogues in the vitolarios of most of the major brands (H. Upmann, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, Por Larranaga, El Crepusculo) and others quite regularly, all figurado formats. Plus, there had always been a vivid name-recycling been done back then and still today, as we know. It would’ve even occurred that the same name had been used for different formats within the same brand for different markets.

[GP012]

@ATGroom - do you have any date specific data on the inner label with "Genuine Imported Havana Cigars..." in four languages?

I've mostly seen them on 60's & 70's dress boxes but curious if you know when they first started.

And apparently on the bottom of a 70's SBN that was just posted on FB:

 

[GP012]

10 hours ago, Fugu said:

This is an old(er) box, John. From the make-up and markings I‘d put this in the 30s/40s era. A time when the (vast) majority of vitolas still had been figurados / torpedo-shaped. The name "Exceptionales“ you find way back in the old catalogues in the vitolarios of most of the major brands (H. Upmann, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, Por Larranaga, El Crepusculo) and others quite regularly, all figurado formats. Plus, there had always been a vivid name-recycling been done back then and still today, as we know. It would’ve even occurred that the same name had been used for different formats within the same brand for different markets.

Pardon the poor photo, but for reference a similar red label was used as recently as the 70's on the lower box. The perf seal on Rob's example is pre-revolution of course.

[ATGroom]

10 hours ago, Fugu said:

This is an old(er) box, John. From the make-up and markings I‘d put this in the 30s/40s era. A time when the (vast) majority of vitolas still had been figurados / torpedo-shaped. The name "Exceptionales“ you find way back in the old catalogues in the vitolarios of most of the major brands (H. Upmann, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, Por Larranaga, El Crepusculo) and others quite regularly, all figurado formats. Plus, there had always been a vivid name-recycling been done back then and still today, as we know. It would’ve even occurred that the same name had been used for different formats within the same brand for different markets.

In this case I have some info - this 1927 catalogue lists the Escepcionales as a parejo with length 125mm. So I guess it was just about the shape we know from then until discontinuation.

 

8 hours ago, GP012 said:

@ATGroom - do you have any date specific data on the inner label with "Genuine Imported Havana Cigars..." in four languages?

I've mostly seen them on 60's & 70's dress boxes but curious if you know when they first started.

My understanding is from early 1930s until about the 70s.

Probably it was introduced about the same time as the four languages on the warranty seal, and then went out with the general cost-cutting in the 70s.

 

[Fugu]

8 hours ago, ATGroom said:

In this case I have some info - this 1927 catalogue lists the Escepcionales as a parejo with length 125mm.

That’s correct, Alex. But we have to be careful with the term “parejo” here. Back then a parejo had also been considered a type of figurado cigar. If you look at the indexing in that German catalogue, the ‘parejo’-type was defined as a cigar with a rounded head and a pointed foot (the parejo had been the “usual” vitola, so to say, just right). A ‘figurado’ was termed a cigar with a pointed head and pointed foot. And what we today call a parejo had been a ‘Coronas-façon’ back then. (At least according to that German ‘nomenclature’) There’s unfortunately no pic of the RyJ Excepcionales included in that catalogue. But if you look at e.g. the El Crepusculo Excepcionales (that consistent use of “Escepcionales” there is a clear case of misspelling) that’s also indicated as being a ‘parejo’, with the Invencibles being a ‘figurado’ and the Petit Cetros being a Coronas-type.

Looking at the Partagás vitolas a page down, the difference between ’parejo’ and ‘figurado’ becomes even more apparent, when comparing the Espléndidos (P) to the Ricardos (F).

According to this, the box from Rob’s post clearly falls into the old ‘parejo’ category as well.

That red inscription on the inner hinge side of the boxes had been introduced in 1929 (plus abouts) acc to Adriano Rius. So, yes, pretty much about the same time, perhaps a tad earlier than the new warranty seal (1931). That’s the dates of the respective underlying decrees, factual implementation might have faced a certain lag obviously. Since a precise independent dating of boxes from that period proves difficult (w/o presence of additional importers’ or retailer’s stamping, existing invoices etc.), the exact time of its first appearance on boxes remains to some extent obscure.

[El Presidente]

Great discussion/information gentlemen. Well done