Dante Cigar Label (ca. 1900)

“Numerous articles have stated that this label originally cost about $6,000 to produce (in turn of the Century dollars) and that it would have required some 22 separate limestones to register and complete the label – but no one that I am aware of has been able to prove that there are 22 colors.

“Nevertheless this version of ‘Dante’ is an exquisite piece of art and considered a cross-over label – that is why there are so few available today. Many non-cigar label collectors acquired this label when it was first found – such as interior decorators, antique dealers and framers. According to Mark Trout, who located the label in 1977 at the Lewis Walters Cigar Box Company in New York, there were 1,200 found… The price Mark originally sold the label for: $7.00 – currently it is going for $500.00 to $800.00. […]”    —Cigar Label Junkie

In addition to a portrait of the poet, the label pictured above also features a large red devil and two swirling figures reminiscent of Paolo and Francesca, indicated by Virgil.

According to the blog Cigar Label Junkie, an earlier iteration of the “Dante” label (1857) known as “El Dante” is purportedly the oldest American cigar label ever found. Curious readers might consult the Library of Congress, where the label can be found.

Contributed by Richard Abrams

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