Thousands of men love the flavor, the aroma, the all-around goodness of this popular cigar... (from a 1922 advertisement)

{HISTORY}

A vintage cigar box with exotic appeal, this handsome package holds all sorts of stories.

Made by E. Waegemans & Son, one of Connecticut's largest manufacturers of cigars in the state, the Top Stone Bouquet brand made their debut in the 1920s. But Connecticut's tobacco-growing history goes back much further.

Dating all the way to the 1600s, tobacco was mostly grown on small farms in Connecticut up until the late 1800s when it bloomed into a significant cigar industry. Over 7000 people were employed in either growing tobacco or working in the many factories around the state. All Connecticut cigars were made of locally grown tobacco and were hand-rolled until the 1950s when modern machinery revolutionized the industry. Producing over 7 million cigars a year at that point, E. Waegemans & Son's Top Stone Bouquet was a favorite among cigar aficionados offering an economical price point but a full-flavored, well-rounded smoking experience.  

Despite its popularity, Waeagemans & Son's cigar boxes are now hard-to-find heirlooms. This one is made of cardboard and features a beautiful exotic scene of palm trees, thatched houses, a winding river and tobacco fields. It's stamped with the word Claro on opposite sides of the box signaling that each cigar was wrapped with Connecticut-grown Sumatra seed broadleaf.  

The exact date of this particular box is uncertain, but if we had to guess we suspect it was made between the 1920s-1950s. Earlier, pre-Great Depression,  Top Stone advertisements featured Top Stone as two separate words, but later on into the 1950s and after, it appears as one word, so that might be a clue as to the age of this one. The inside cover features the logo of the Cigar Makers International Union of America which was in operation from the 1860s until it merged in 1976 with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union - another clue that helps bracket a timeframe.  There is no mention of E. Waegemans & Son online past the 1980s, and the factory located in Bridgeport, CT became part of the city's holdings in the late 1980s,  where it was  referred to only as the Topstone Cigar Factory building.  

History aside, this handsome box is in lovely condition with beautiful crisp, clear graphics, dynamic fonts, and a stylish red and gold EW band that wraps around each edge. Here in the Vintage Kitchen, we love to use vintage cigar boxes to corral bar cart accessories, organize pantry items and recipes, store seed packets for the garden, and house various table decor items like napkin rings, tealight candles and small utensils. They also make pretty gift boxes filled with a sweet treat or two for friends and family.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Hard to find brand

- Lovely condition

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition, this box is strong and study. Very clean inside and out, there are no ripped corners, spots or stains on any side of the box, except for one small spot on the inside bottom. The lid opens and closes easily and sits flat against the base with no sag or indentation. There are two light scuff marks on the bottom exterior of the box next to the handwritten wax pencil marks. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 6" inches (length) x 3.85" inches (width) x 3.25" inches (height) and weighs 5.5 oz