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Old 09-16-2017, 06:59 AM   #1
xrundog
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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.

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Old 09-16-2017, 07:05 AM   #2
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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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Old 09-17-2017, 03:40 AM   #3
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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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Old 09-17-2017, 05:41 AM   #4
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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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Old 09-17-2017, 06:38 AM   #5
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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.

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Old 09-28-2017, 06:02 AM   #6
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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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