antique 1904 Worlds Fair cigar case

Case for a Cigar

"Give that man a cigar" . . .

A little stogie of history ~

While the origins of cigar smoking are unknown, the first depiction of someone smoking a cigar is attributed to a ceramic pot showing a Mayan smoking tobacco leaves bound with string that dates back to the tenth century.

Illustration of vintage cigar box label

Dried and fermented tobacco leaves are rolled into a bundle to create a cigar. The perfect environment for growing cigar tobacco is Central America and on the island in the Caribbean, the most notable being Cuba.

Manly symbolism ~

Know someone who fits the bill?

As they say, a cigar is never just a cigar; and your state of mind determines a great deal.

If you are in a leadership mode like Churchill, the cigar is symbolic of confidence and success. They are also considered a symbol of wealth and luxury.

Dreaming of a cigar symbolizes triumph!

All the President's men ~

James Madison was the first president known to smoke cigars. Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel were also regular partakers of the cigar.

The hero of the Mexican War, Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848. The president of the Conferacy, Jefferon Davis was also a cigar smoker. His wife was Taylor's daugher.

Nearly every president between the Civil War and WWII smoked cigars; and Ulysses S. Grant was known to smoke 20 cigars a day.

Orson Welles smokes a cigar

in his acclaimed documentary,

"F is for Fake."

JFK enjoying a cigar.

Kennedy was known to smoke cigars with his father regularly as a young man and was pictured smoking a cigar often. The list of cigar smokers is likely to continue.

Cigars are popular with movie stars and many cigars don the name of famous people.

The new dad tradition ~

While it is unknown exactly where the tradition began to give out a cigar with the birth of a baby, these are some good ones:

Some say it began with the native Indian tribes of the Americas who believed in giving valuable gifts out when a son was born and tobacco was a most valuable commodity.

Another claim is that becoming a father is a rite of passage into adulthood or that after the birth of a child the menfolk would retire to the parlor and smoke cigars to calm shattered nerves.

All agree passing out cigars is a gesture of celebration and looking toward a new future.

Cigars synonymous with becoming a dad.

A special case ~

This brings us to a very special case for that cigar lover or collector in your life.

A genuine antique from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. We have one ~ a rare find, indeed.

World's Fair ~ St. Louis ~ 1904

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