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The Cedar Room A place for cigar storage and cigar accessories discussions. |
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09-16-2017, 06:59 AM | #1 |
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Herf Meister
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Extraordinary Humidors I Will Never Buy
As evidenced by my post about the quarter sawn oak Benson & Hedges humidor, I come across some pretty wild stuff while monitoring eBay. I thought a separate thread where I can show them as I see them would be a good idea.
Here's another wild humidor and table set. Unknown maker. Looks like some sort of oriental revival. I think this stuff was popular in the late 19th century. |
09-16-2017, 07:05 AM | #2 |
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Herf Meister
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I have one more currently on my watch list. Another Benson & Hedges box and table set. The description says the decoration is all hand painted. At $3500 I will not buy it. Nice to look at though!
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09-17-2017, 03:40 AM | #3 |
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Herf Meister
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Here's another Benson & Hedges. This one is carved with Chinese dragons. The relief is high and the carving is bold and excellent. I'd love to have it. $1650 takes it home. Considering the quality and rarity, it's probably worth it. Needs a good cleaning inside though!
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09-17-2017, 05:41 AM | #4 |
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Herf God
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I imagine that one of the reasons these things don't warp is that they are lined with tin, which limits damage that high humidity would cause to natural wood. I'm sure that's the main reason for the tin lining, as opposed to cedar.
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Rob If people can tell me where to smoke, I can tell them where to go, too. |
09-17-2017, 06:38 AM | #5 |
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Herf Meister
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I think the cedar absorbs the moisture pretty well. It will actually pull moisture from the exterior box if it has any.
I think tin (or zinc, some alloy anyway) seemed like a logical material at the time. Clean and durable. Then over time, the metal corroded. Not so great for cigars. So humidor manufacturers switched to glass liners. Don't know how someone figured out Spanish cedar was a good liner. But that pops up around mid century. The old boxes are sometimes warped. I guess usually because they've sat in a basement or attic subject to extreme moisture and temp swings. The lid goes first. Then the body joinery starts coming apart. A slight warp is okay. It can be compensated for. And it isn't very noticeable. The Benson & Hedges liners seem to be highly polished. Wonder if that made a difference. Or if B&H used a better grade alloy. I've seen pics of some that have corrosion. But nothing like the crusty mess one sometimes sees. |
09-28-2017, 06:02 AM | #6 |
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Herf Meister
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Here's an ornately carved humidor. It's a bit larger than usual as well. Originally I thought this type of humidor dated to about 1900. But recently I saw a 1930s ad with this exact box (or very similar) selling for $56. Big dough in those days! It sold recently for around $700. I don't think anyone today could make it and sell it for that.
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09-29-2017, 08:46 AM | #7 |
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Herf Meister
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Edward G. Robinson's Benson & Hedges humidor. Looks like his stuff is still in it. I wonder where it's been? Guy's been dead 40 years.
Live auction, $3000 starting bid. I tried to get in on a live auction not long ago. I either couldn't, or wasn't allowed to participate. Anyway, Nice mahogany box! Cigars AND pipes. Edit: Just realized this is part of Debbie Reynold's estate. Must have sat in storage for years. Edit again: This humidor sold for $4500. Wonder who bought it? Last edited by xrundog; 10-09-2017 at 04:55 PM. |
10-07-2017, 06:47 PM | #8 |
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Herf Meister
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Another cool box came up recently. It's a Kopriwa which was a Chicago company c. 1900. Their humidors come up now and again and fetch good prices. They are usually relief carved and glass lined. Very nice quality humidors.
So this plain jane comes up recently, but upon closer examination, someone has done some painting on this box. It's in an impressionist style that would have been popular when the box was new. Pretty skilled hand too! Really nice, love to have it. But I'll likely abstain. I prefer them in rougher shape for less money. This one is listed at $395. Not saying it isn't worth it. I think it's pretty special. And the interior is clean and ready to go. |
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