Description
1533 Vintage Cuba Travel Poster Cigar Box Purse
Let me start by saying that this is an authentic vintage Cuban cigar box with the seals left as is- a yellow Montecristo, Cabinet Selection, No. 2! I decoupaged the vintage travel poster image to the front of the cigar box along with three large blue crystals. The image depicts a couple having cocktails and overlooking a busy Havana street scene. There is s small map insert in the corner and the words “So Near, So Fast”- so cute! The back of the cigar box purse has been painted black and sealed. The cigar box has been flipped so that the opening is now on the side to accommodate the image and has been given a crystal knob closure for security. Gold purse feet have been added to the back and bottom for protection. Gold hardware has been attached to the sides so that you may add a strap that you already own. This makes these little cigar box purses of mine versatile in that they can be worn by the handle, over the shoulder or cross- body. I sell straps and gold and silver cross body chains too. The chain in the last photo is available, but not included. The handle is made up of gold, black, yellow and teal beads and a black tassel. I lined the inside with black velvet and yellow ball trim. 6.5 x 10.5 x 2.25″ THIS IS AN AUTHENTIC CIGAR BOX PURSE, SO SMALL FLAWS INFLICTED BY THE SMOKERS OF THE CIGARS ARE TO BE EXPECTED! Large flaws will be noted in the description. If you don’t like what you see, I can do custom cigar box purses and can include anything you like!- pictures of family members, pets, places- you name it! I always ship insured. Feel free to call me! 813-655-8003- Home. Please sign up for email via this site to get in on sales and new products. Also please follow Humadorables by Susan on Facebook and Instagram. https://www.facebook.com/Humadorables/ https://www.instagram.com/humadorablebysusan/
Here is the link to purchase the chain. Use coupon code: SHIPCHAIN at check out to take shipping charges off of the chain when adding to a cigar box purse purchase and add in comments if you would like gold or silver. https://humadorablesbysusan.com/product/silver-gold-cross-body-chains/
History: A tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge published in 1845 was often read by ‘lectores,’ the readers who kept ‘torcedores’ (Cuban cigar rollers) entertained while they made the world’s best smokes. The novel by Alexandre Dumas was The Count of Monte Cristo and it was popular in Cuban cigar factories. So popular, in fact, that after Alonzo Menendez, who bought the Particulares cigar brand in 1935, immediately created a new brand named after the classic work. The Montecristo cigar was born. It has become a classic in its own right. The saga that followed might have been written by Dumas as the tale of two Montecristos. Montecristo means ‘mountain of Christ.’ After Menendez’s factory and the cigar industry were nationalized by Fidel Castro on September 15, 1960, Alonzo — with seven dollars in his pocket — and his family fled Cuba. The first stop was the Canary Islands, belonging to Spain, but since the Montecristo brand was sold there, Menendez and his son, Benjamin, had to create a new name. They chose Montecruz. The design scheme was very similar to the Montecristo, but the ‘fleur de lis’ on the cigar band was replaced with a cross. As Cigar Aficionado has reported, “Menendez struck gold with the launch of Montecruz, an unapologetic copy of the Montecristo brand that his family had lost in Cuba. Made with Cameroon wrapper, a dark, toothy leaf that would soon prove a worthy substitute for Havana wrapper, Montecruz quickly became the No. 1 premium cigar in the U.S.” In the 1970s, the company moved to the Dominican Republic and found a way to call the cigar ‘Montecristo’ again. Having acquired the rights to the name from General Cigar, the loophole was used to sell the Dominican Montecristo only in the U.S. where the Cuban Montecristo was banned by the U.S. embargo on Cuban goods. The factory is still operating in La Romana. Today, the Dominican Montecristos are made by Spanish-French joint-venture, Altadis, S.A., which is also an investor in Habanos, the official Cuban cigar exporter. The Dominican cigars get great reviews and are generally more consistently well-made than the Cuban versions.
