Need help with some pre Castro's cigars.

[Jimmy2]

Someone walked into the lounge to day said he had some old Cubans so the owners sent him to me.

Most of the time there always fake and i send them out the door warning them to never return.

But when this guy came back he had and old box and before i told him to open it i asked him were he got them.

He told me and old man in the same building he lived in died around 80+ years old he used to be a big wig in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

So i asked him to open the box and WOW what a find to a Cigar collector Pre Embargo baby singles some were in good shape some were not.

La Corona's,H.Upmann,Punch ,R&J,Bering made in Fla with Cuban Tabacco in a metal tube and an assortment of Perfectos in very very yellow cello with no bands.

I told him to a collector they would be worth something as a pre embargo but as far as auction grade no because no boxes and not knowing how they were kept were big factor's.

So i bought a few off of him one that i identified in the cello is an H.Upmann El Prado which is very rare.

But the others i have no idea what there names are for some of the old timers here what are the 2nd band on the H.Upmanns?

And as far as the other does anyone have an idea?

I might buy the rest off of him next week around 40 cigars in all.

Also there were some older tube's H.Upmanns Corona Minors all tubes had old and i mean very old tape to keep the air out .

It took me about 2 min's to get one of them opened LOL it was like it was part of the tube the glue.

[El Presidente]

What a fantastic score Jimmy

I can't help you on the Upmann second band as I have no records of that cigar...but it looks superb

The chances they will smoke well are almost nil.....but where you have 2 ...smoke one after 90 days in your humi and give us a review ;-)

[Jimmy2]

Thanks Claudius

Some new info on the extra H.Upmann 2nd band i found underneath the regular one.

This was taken International Cigar Club regarding the same question Bullet Bob had about this type of band he had on some Cubans from 1959 .

He is what one person said.

Originally Posted by WayneN

This is a very common additional band found in many 1959 Cuban cigars to indicate that these cigars were produced after 2nd January 1959. The date the New Government took over.

The purpose of this band has been researched but remains unclear to me. All Cuban cigar band specialists I have consulted do not know the reason, except all know that this can be used as a dating device.

But my theory is that this band may be related to tax exemption from the previous Cuban Government! I study history and there’s invariably a honey moon period when a new Revolutionary Government just took over power. It had to please the common people in order to consolidate power.

I have the 1959 Habano Magazine yearbook (12 monthly issues bound together.). Nothing but great praises from the tobacco industry for the new Revolutionary Government. I guess no one who wrote those articles would have imagined what would going to happen to them one year later!

[shrink]

Very nice eye candy, Jimmy. Nice score. I agree with Prez, they're not likely to smoke well given the uncertain provenance.

But, you never know until you try...

[Jack]

What Wayne says about the second band is pretty much all anyone can surmise. Additionally the Batista government did add a tax band on cigars intended for in-country sale as singles. The below picture shows a pre-revolution Partagas tubed cigar which has the band on the tube allowing full view of the tax band. Additionally I have seen a tubed Romeo Churchill with the tax band under the RyJ band.

Note the maker overstamp on the tax band.

[Colt45]

Great pics, great info!

[xibbumbero]

Wow! Those Upmann's look delish. Smoke one and let us know. X:hungry:

[Jimmy2]

I hope he calls i want those R & J sealed Churchills ( they had a plastic rubber like ring around the screw top i just thought it was tape the old man put there LOL) in the tubes there were 3 of them.

I was not thinking right when i saw this stash it was like hitting a little jack pot .

I hope he calls back would love to collect the rest of these smoke's.:crying:

[Jimmy2]

Well he never called back man what a bummer.

The thing that bothers me the most is i let the sealed pre Castro A/T R&J Churchills (3 to 6 i think) go and yes they had the adhesive strip which at the time i did not know .

Any way which cigar should i blaze up on the 4 th of July or should i let them settle still in the humi?

[Jimmy2]

Thanks