I have been collecting cigar labels and wrappers for 10 years now. Collecting cigar ephemera is challenging because only a few of these have survived over the years. Unfortunately, as with most cigar art, most of the labels have ended up in the trash and with our tropical climate these labels become brittle with age. Cigar label collecting is very popular abroad, but there are only a few collectors here because of their scarcity.
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| FLOR DE VEGAS ESCOGIDAS Cigar Label |
The best smoking tobacco was grown as a broad leaf plant in the Ilocos and Cagayan because of the fertile lands of those regions.
Cigar label designs were created to sell cigar to the smoking public to satisfy one of their many basic pleasures and the art form is reborn as an art collectible. I recommend this hobby to everyone. One gains knowledge of the arts, history, printing technologies, and appreciation to detail. These cigar labels and wrappers below were made in the 1910s up to the late 1930s.
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| EL ORIENTE, Manila |
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| CAVATOGRAS |
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| LA DOMINADORA, Manila |
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| LAS VEGAS BAJAS, Manila |
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| NEUTRALITY |
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| LA FLOR DE ORO |
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| EL GALLO DE ORO |
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| LA MANILA |
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| LA FLOR DEL VALLE |
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| PRIMA MANILLA |
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| TEMPLO DE AMOR |
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| LA FRAGNANCIA |
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| EL JAVANA |
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| LA PERLA DE ORIENTE, Manila |
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| LA FLOR DE LA ISABELA |
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| PAGKAKAISA TABACALERA |
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| EARLMONT |
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| EL MEZZO CIGARS |
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| FIGHTING BOB |
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| ISABELA GENERALS |
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| NABOB INVINCIBLE |
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| NEUTRALITY LONDRES |
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TIONA LONDRES
PRICES OF CIGARS
Taken from Navy Guide to Cavite and Manila (1908)
The cheapest grade of good cigars are the
"londres", which retail at 8 for 10 cents, U. S. Currency. From that
the prices range on up through an infinite variety of sizes, shapes and degrees of excellence to the big cigars in
sealed glass tubes that cost a quarter
each. The names "londres," "perfectos,"
"divinos," "brevas," etc., refer to the shape of the cigar and are used
by all factories.
Some factories make
special brands of cigars, such as the "Jose Rizal" brands, the "Army
and Navy," "American Belle," etc.; but these are comparatively
few. At the retail stores on the Escolta one can buy cigars in small quantities
almost as cheaply as in large. You can buy a box of cigars at H Walter E. Olsen
e Co. stores on the Escolta as cheaply as you can at the factory. Manila
cigarettes are famous for their purity and fine flavor, as well as for their
cheapness. The best grade of standard cigarettes retails at 5 cents U. S.
Currency for a package of 30. Hand made cigarettes are higher in price,
running, in gold tips and fancy boxes, as high as 25 cents U. S. Currency for a
box of 20. The bulk of American cigarette smokers like the native product
better than American made cigarettes. The duty on imported cigars and
cigarettes is very high in the Philippines.
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Hi!
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled on your webpage. I'm doing some research on El Oriente (for personal reasons) and hoping I could ask you some questions about your cigar wrapper. If that's ok.
Do you have a email address or is there someway i can get in touch?
Thanks.
Kai
Hi Kai,
ReplyDeleteYou can contact me at lumang.gamit@yahoo.com.
Ed
I have a box of ten Earlmont Esquisitos cigars, complete in their wrappers, with a Dodge Brothers Works promotion folder inside. The Philippino Customs Export label, Serial Number, 3970808, is dated 9-DEC 1920.An earlier date stamp, on the wooden box, is dated OCT 14 1909. Would you be able to place a value on this box of cigars , and what interest would this generate, should we place them on the market?
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