THE SANDOW CIGAR AND BOX
Sandow
Cigars were manufactured by S. Cantrovitz and Sons,
Chicago and L.G. Deschler from about 1896 to 1898.
The inner box label featured Sandow in a "double-biceps"
pose in the center of the design, as well as images
of him lifting a horse with one arm (an image also
used by Johann Hoff Malt Extract for their ads), and
another of him carrying a cannon. This label was a
"stone chromo-lithograph", in which the details are
embossed, including Sandow's hair, muscular torso,
and the gold gilt medals above him. The embossing
gave the label a life-like three-dimensional appearance.
The embossing of the paper was apparently a very expensive
process at the time. Only the highest quality paper
which lacked wood fiber would hold up during the actual
process. The labels are very scarce today, and it
is rare to locate one for sale or at auction.
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The
box lid, shown below, were for Sandow "Perfection"
cigars. These were produced by L.G. Deschler.
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The
beautifully decorated Sandow Cigar boxes are extremely difficult
to find on the market, in fact much more than the Sandow label
alone.
On
September 15th, 1999, the box shown above made by S. Cantrovitz,
sold at an eBay on-line auction for an astonishing $810.00!
No word yet on how much a box with the actual cigars would
be worth.
Below
are a series of images showing the deeper Deschler version
of the "Perfection" box. This one with side panel
labels. This is an extrodinary example of the Sandow Cigar
Box and is extremely rare.... fetching hundreds of dollars
at auction.
Photos are courtesy of Brian Robertson
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