Pre-Embargo Cuban Cigars on Pawn Stars

[guitar4001]

So the other night, I am watching Pawn Stars on the History Channel. A guy brings in an old box of La Corona Belvederes that were stored in his father's WW2 chest for many moons. The "old man" told the guy that the packaging was cool (the box was sealed) but the cigars were probably turned to dust by now. The guy wanted $600 (I think) for the box, but the old man offered $50. The seller walked away without making a deal and said that he would consider bringing the cigars to a local cigar store and try to sell them there.

Interesting - as a cigar smoker, i would've probably given him $100-$200 and made an attempt to revive the contents of the box. Passing on the deal was probably a good idea by the pawn shop - you never know what is inside the box.

-Paul

[Bill86]

Something tells me if they were un-humidified for "many moons" there is no hope in reviving them.

[T.G]

It really depends on the ambient conditions they were left in. A cigar left "un-humidified" for decades in an area with higher humidity might be fine, while one in a very dry climate will likely suffer greatly.

[MikeyC]

It really depends on the ambient conditions they were left in. A cigar left "un-humidified" for decades in an area with higher humidity might be fine, while one in a very dry climate will likely suffer greatly.

Pawn stars is shot in Las Vegas. So, my guess is they're dust. :td

[thecatch83]

I saw that episode, and I think they brought in a "specialist" who said they were too far gone. Would have been a fun project trying to bring those back nonetheless.

[Zeuceone]

maybe the beetles ate them?

[kelmac07]

Chumly didn't try to eat them? :r :r :r

[Dunkel]

Someone here would buy them, smoke one and claim that it was exquisite. If for no other reason than it's a Cuban LOL :rolleyes:

[maninblack]

Someone here would buy them, smoke one and claim that it was exquisite. If for no other reason than it's a Cuban LOL :rolleyes:

:r:r:r

[elderboy02]

I saw that episode. I would easily pay $100 for them just because of the box/packaging.

[ajacobs]

They didn't bring in a specialist. The old man new they had to be stored correctly.

And all of you saying you would pay 100 means the old man was smart only offering 50. He has to make a profit.

[Domer]

yea I saw that episode too. I wonder how many awesome smokes have been lost over the years due to people not keeping them humidified properly?

I know I have found the occasional cigar or two in a desk drawer or in the console of my car that I meant to smoke and never got around to. These weren't by any means irreplaceable but it still wasn't fun finding them all dried up and brittle.

That being said, I'd love to have a pre-embargo box even if the sticks were dead just for a decoration if nothing else.

[icehog3]

Someone here would buy them, smoke one and claim that it was exquisite. If for no other reason than it's a Cuban LOL :rolleyes:

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

[Skywalker]

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

:sh

[Neens]

I would pay something for it just because I like the way the box looked and it would fit in nice in a smoking room. It would be something to talk about with some friends. I don't think I would ever try to open it because of how long it was sitting around for.

[markem]

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

Oh hell, I thought I was the only one. Last time I try to stand out from the crowd.

[Whipper Snapper]

MMM, dehydrated dust habanos.

[GoatLocker]

maybe the beetles ate them?

That would just make it the cigar equivalent of kopi luwak coffee. mmmm, beetle dung! :dr

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

:r:r:r

[thecatch83]

They didn't bring in a specialist. The old man new they had to be stored correctly.

And all of you saying you would pay 100 means the old man was smart only offering 50. He has to make a profit.

Good point! Those guys seem to always know their limit and still make profit.

[688sonarmen]

Saw it too, great show. The Old Man said that they are still in production? I have never heard of them. Good pass but worth the 50$ just to see what the box looked like on the inside.

[mosesbotbol]

Saw it too, great show. The Old Man said that they are still in production?

La Corona is no longer produced, but Belvederes are made by a couple of Marcas. For sure it is worth $100 if the box is not warped.

[Eleven]

Could you X-ray the box to see without opening it?

Maybe an MRI?

[weak_link]

I could see a cigar manufacturer buying the box, grinding up the dust and sprinkling a 'generous helping of Pre-Embargo Cuban tobacco!!' in cigars and selling them as over priced novelty PE smokes.

fwiw I love that show.

[guitar4001]

La Corona is no longer produced, but Belvederes are made by a couple of Marcas. For sure it is worth $100 if the box is not warped.

LA Corona is still produced - in Honduras. The cuban version made a revival in the late 80's and were discontinued in the late 90's IIRC. When Fidel Castro visited NYC in the late 50's he bought a La Corona from the JR store. At least that is how I remember reading the story.

JR's sells them for about $50 for box/25.

[HK3-]

I could see a cigar manufacturer buying the box, grinding up the dust and sprinkling a 'generous helping of Pre-Embargo Cuban tobacco!!' in cigars and selling them as over priced novelty PE smokes.

fwiw I love that show.

:r:r Funny yet true!

I love the show as well.

[mosesbotbol]

LA Corona is still produced - in Honduras.

Not the same La Corona and no relation to the Cuban marque.

[Mugen910]

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

Not very nice to talk about Kelly and Tyr that way... :r

[Chainsaw13]

The latest expert they bring in for hand writing/signature analysis kinda bugs me. Carries that big case and only pulls out a magnifying glass. Every time he does that, it reminds me of the one scene from "Top Secret". If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm taking about.

[weak_link]

http://images2.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/5058827/Expert-you-say-I-know-a-guy-who-is-an-expert-on-experts-let-me-call-him-up.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Pawn-Stars

[HK3-]

http://images2.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/5058827/Expert-you-say-I-know-a-guy-who-is-an-expert-on-experts-let-me-call-him-up.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Pawn-Stars

The bottom should read, "I know an expert who will buy this thing once I rip you off." ;)

[guitar4001]

Not the same La Corona and no relation to the Cuban marque.

yes, of course.

[jsnake]

I like watching that show but I am pretty sure 90% of those fools who get ripped off go gamble away all their money. Seriously, if you have something of value the last place in the world you should try to sell it would be at a pawn shop.

saw this episode but those cigars have to be dust by now. Not a gamble I would take.

[guitar4001]

yes, of course.

Aren't the original cuban brand names (Montecristo, RyJ, H. Upmann, etc) actually owned by US companies? In other words, when the Cuban gov't took control of the cigar factories, didn't the US based owners of the brand names come to the US and start to make their cigars with Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobacco? That would make the current cuban montecristo, partagas, and RyJ illegal in the US right? Copyright infringement and all that jazz.

[T.G]

Aren't the original cuban brand names (Montecristo, RyJ, H. Upmann, etc) actually owned by US companies? In other words, when the Cuban gov't took control of the cigar factories, didn't the US based owners of the brand names come to the US and start to make their cigars with Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobacco? That would make the current cuban montecristo, partagas, and RyJ illegal in the US right? Copyright infringement and all that jazz.

Yes and no. That's a big mess that's been debated ad nauseum on most forums. Some of the names might be in question at some point in the future due to the original owners fleeing Cuba and restarting operations elsewhere, but others, namely those owned and produced by Altadis USA, will likely be a non-issue as the parent of Altadis USA, Altadis SA (now a part of Imperial Tobacco UK) is majority shareholder in Cubatobacco.

[jkstewart1]

Sorry, I missed it. I'm sure it's on my dvr because my son doesn't miss an episode. I'll have to look.

The handwriting expert who pulls just a magnifying glass out of the huge case bugs me too. Why the big case if you only have the glass in it?

[Noodles]

Aren't the original cuban brand names (Montecristo, RyJ, H. Upmann, etc) actually owned by US companies? In other words, when the Cuban gov't took control of the cigar factories, didn't the US based owners of the brand names come to the US and start to make their cigars with Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobacco? That would make the current cuban montecristo, partagas, and RyJ illegal in the US right? Copyright infringement and all that jazz.

Big mess with regards to who owns what brand names. Cohiba and Punch is a very good example.

Not sure which brand of cuban cigar were USA based at that time. I think majority of them were owned by Cubans and were based in Cuba.

Infringement is not the reason why Cuban cigars are illegal in the USA.

[shilala]

The latest expert they bring in for hand writing/signature analysis kinda bugs me. Carries that big case and only pulls out a magnifying glass. Every time he does that, it reminds me of the one scene from "Top Secret". If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm taking about.
My daughter and I dvr this show and watch it religiously. We laugh our asses off every time the magnifying glass comes out of the giant box. We had honestly thought that was the only thing in there, but we saw some papers strapped to the inside in an episode we watched a few days ago.

And I wouldn't buy the box of worthless cigars even for five bucks. But now that I know that there's really guys that'd pay 50 bucks for unsmokable cigars, I'd do it. On second thought, I should have already known. You guys buy Paratagas all the time... :r

[guitar4001]

Big mess with regards to who owns what brand names. Cohiba and Punch is a very good example.

Not sure which brand of cuban cigar were USA based at that time. I think majority of them were owned by Cubans and were based in Cuba.

Infringement is not the reason why Cuban cigars are illegal in the USA.

A little clarity - I know that copyright infringement is not the reason why cuban cigars are illegal in the US. But if the embargo were lifted tomorrow, that would cause problems one would think.

[rjg7107]

Hey all. This isn't exactly related to the Pawn Stars episode, but is loosely connected anyway. I just bought (yesterday), a 1912 Romeo Y Julieta Cuban cigar box. Inside the box are a bunch of cigars, most with bands. Not all are R y J, but there are other Cuban brands in there as well. All appear to be from the same time period (1910's). I have no idea how they've been stored, but they are in amazingly good condition. I'm not a cigar aficionado, so I'm hoping someone here might be able to give me an idea of what they might be worth? Thanks!
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/a711615021802219c89b1d8149a4256df73aabd61e988f68c5 bb7574c774177e6g.jpg
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/52ddbb063613ded2bd03829e46899d6fcc7e6100a6fcff4e6f 5ca8e7bc30e3736g.jpg

[icehog3]

Looks like they have been wet at some point. I would say they are worth next to nothing, but would need to see them in person to say for sure.

Also, I see you are new here. Please know that we do not allow the sale of Cuban cigars here, except by International Retailers. Not implying that you are trying to sell these, just making sure you have perused the rules here. ;)

[rjg7107]

Thanks for the information. To me, they don't look like they've ever been wet. If they had, the bands would show it, and the bands are pristine. I'm not looking to sell them, just trying to get an idea of their value. Thanks Admiral.

[Emjaysmash]

Thanks for the information. To me, they don't look like they've ever been wet. If they had, the bands would show it, and the bands are pristine. I'm not looking to sell them, just trying to get an idea of their value. Thanks Admiral.

I think he's referring to the way the band is warped, as well at the wrappers on the cigars.

The band could have been warped just by the way they were packed in the box. The wrinkling of the cigar's wrapper leaf may suggest that they were wet at one time, or over humidified and then lost thier humidity. The expansion if the filler tobacco and then sudden drying can leave an ill fitting, wrinkled wrapper, IMHO.
YMMV.

[pektel]

I'm guessing they haven't been stored properly. Only because if they had, they wouldn't have been just "included" with on oldbox. I would say they have a little value as a novelty item, but no value as a smokeable vintage cigar.

Just saying.
Posted via Mobile Device

[rjg7107]

Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate your expertise.

[lilwing88]

You know, I often wonder how many boxes of Cubans went to waste for people who know nothing about cigars and just bought a box just to say they did...... probably in the thousands..... :(

[Starscream]

Chumly didn't try to eat them? :r :r :r

:r

Mmmmmmmm...., Candy!

[xxx_busa]

I prefer to be called Cuban Snob, That is Cuban Snob,

Yeah, nothing but a bunch of Cuban elitist asswipes on this site. :rolleyes:

[xxx_busa]

Those appear to be from the 70's or 80's not 1910

Hey all. This isn't exactly related to the Pawn Stars episode, but is loosely connected anyway. I just bought (yesterday), a 1912 Romeo Y Julieta Cuban cigar box. Inside the box are a bunch of cigars, most with bands. Not all are R y J, but there are other Cuban brands in there as well. All appear to be from the same time period (1910's). I have no idea how they've been stored, but they are in amazingly good condition. I'm not a cigar aficionado, so I'm hoping someone here might be able to give me an idea of what they might be worth? Thanks!
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/a711615021802219c89b1d8149a4256df73aabd61e988f68c5 bb7574c774177e6g.jpg
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/52ddbb063613ded2bd03829e46899d6fcc7e6100a6fcff4e6f 5ca8e7bc30e3736g.jpg

[mfarre03]

Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.

[Starscream]

Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.
It's all subjective. Some cubans suck; others are great. Some people prefer Nicaraguans over Cubans, some prefer Honduran or Dominican. Others smoke exclusively Cuban cigars. It's all a matter of preference.

I like a lot of cuban cigars, but I prefer NCs (but it all depends on what I'm smoking).


No offense Mike, but there are probably over a hundred threads on this site dealing with this subject. Just takes a little bit of reading.:)

[icehog3]

Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.

All that money? Most regular production Cubans are cheaper than premium Dominicans and Nicaraguans. ;)

[mfarre03]

It's all subjective. Some cubans suck; others are great. Some people prefer Nicaraguans over Cubans, some prefer Honduran or Dominican. Others smoke exclusively Cuban cigars. It's all a matter of preference.

I like a lot of cuban cigars, but I prefer NCs (but it all depends on what I'm smoking).


No offense Mike, but there are probably over a hundred threads on this site dealing with this subject. Just takes a little bit of reading.:)

NOt offended, just tossing it out there, lol:sl

[Noodles]

The latest expert they bring in for hand writing/signature analysis kinda bugs me. Carries that big case and only pulls out a magnifying glass. Every time he does that, it reminds me of the one scene from "Top Secret". If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm taking about.

http://chud.com/articles/content_images/0MOD/top3.jpg

I LOL when I first saw that movie.

[pektel]

All that money? Most regular production Cubans are cheaper than premium Dominicans and Nicaraguans. ;)

This. And the general CC profile that makes it uniquie is, to me, delicious.

[Blueface]

Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.

Cubans suck.

[icehog3]

Cubans suck.

Speak for yourself, Man. :r

[landhoney]

Those appear to be from the 70's or 80's not 1910

What makes you say that?
They look much older than 70/80's to me (the band, the shape (that's no celestial finos), and the other cigars in the box), maybe not 1910, but pre-embargo at least I think, definitely not sure though.

[landhoney]

I think he's referring to the way the band is warped, as well at the wrappers on the cigars.

The band could have been warped just by the way they were packed in the box. The wrinkling of the cigar's wrapper leaf may suggest that they were wet at one time, or over humidified and then lost thier humidity. The expansion if the filler tobacco and then sudden drying can leave an ill fitting, wrinkled wrapper, IMHO.
YMMV.

Or it could be that they were rolled without molds/forms, I seem to remember that they didn't use these 'back in the day' and that is why many pre-embargo's have that 'bumpy' appearance. Am I remembering that correctly? I may be way off. :confused:

[xxx_busa]

Seriously - most are less expensive, At least that has been my luck.


Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.

[DBall]

Are Cuban cigar's that much better? I just can't see paying all that money for something that probably isn't as good as a Dominican or Nic.

Mike, you live, like, an hour away from me. Come to Rochester and we'll have an in depth discussion about this. I'm gonna PM you my number. :tu

[xxx_busa]

Fisrt the density and color in the bands, Todays printing uses mineal pigment grown from natural resources, Print prior to 30's was dye based, Much higher tendency to fad, The foil stamping and metalic ink use back then would be very suspect too. To many indicators for much later technologies, not available to the cigar maker for that period. Some need to send a pic to the cigar box museum for verification

http://www.nationalcigarmuseum.com/Site/NCM_HOME.html

What makes you say that?
They look much older than 70/80's to me (the band, the shape (that's no celestial finos), and the other cigars in the box), maybe not 1910, but pre-embargo at least I think, definitely not sure though.

[DBall]

The foil stamping and metalic ink use back then would be very suspect too.

I have a 1926 cigar with foil wrap, so I wouldn't discount it based on that...

[xxx_busa]

Just a little too dried out

[bobarian]

Nice review. :bh

[AdamJoshua]

Cubans suck.

Yah got sick of Elián real fast, but their cigars are delicious. -(P

[Beagleone]

Not to hijack the post, but I posted this photo in the Habanos forum some time ago, but this is a special four pack of Bolivars from 1956 for Nat Sherman.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i272/beagleonenet/iPhone08092012375.jpg

Yes, they are for sell.

-(P