Advertising Auction - 9AM

June 18

Auction starts at 9AM

Gotham Cigar Museum Collection expected to light up Morphys June 18 Antique Advertising sale

A superb collection of early tobacciana will be smoking its way across the auction block on June 18 as Morphys presents a 900-lot Antique Advertising sale featuring the specialty collection of the Gotham Cigar Museum of Tampa, Florida.

It's amazing how many different types of cigar-related items are sought after by collectors. This premier collection traces to the early days of the cigar industry in America and includes everything from cigar boxes to hand-painted cases to beautiful die-cuts and figural advertising pieces,? said Dan Morphy, owner of Morphy Auctions.

In the 1990s, the owner of the featured collection became interested in the history of clear Havana cigars. These were rolled in the United States in pre-embargo days (before 1963) using Cuban tobacco. At one time, there were ten of thousands of factories, all over the country,? the collector said. ?I began collecting remnants from days gone by and became interested in the actual history of clear Havana cigars, cigar boxes, cigar art and advertising.

The selection of cigar boxes to be auctioned includes not only rare and beautifully lithographed boxes, but also cigar containers that were artistically recycled. Some were skillfully notched and carved into decorative, sometimes practical articles, what collectors call ''tramp art.'' Other cigar boxes served as

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