A rare cigar store Indian figure, beautifully carved in the 1880s by the renowned artisan Samuel Robb, sold for $94,400 at a three-day auction event held March 30-April 1 by Showtime Auction Services. The sale was held at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, a venue that’s become the site of choice for Showtime Auction Services. The 5-foot-tall Indian chief figure had much of its original paint still intact and was in overall excellent condition. It was also the top lot of the sale.

“This was one of the best-looking cigar store figures we’ve had the pleasure of selling,” said Mike Eckles of Showtime Services, based in Woodhaven, Mich. “It was no surprise to me that it came close to the $100,000 mark.”

The auction featured two blockbusting headliners: the 35-year collection of Al and Peg Araiza, collectors in many categories; and Part 1 of the lifetime pedal car and toy collection of Ed and Christy Ramsey (Part 2 will be sold Oct. 5-7, also by Showtime in Ann Arbor). In all, over 2,000 lots of investment-grade antiques and collectibles changed hands over the weekend.

“It was the most diverse auction we’ve ever had,” remarked Eckles, “and also one of the most fun. It was great to have all these collectors representing around 60-70 categories all at one event. Everybody was just chatting, eating, drinking and generally having a good time. As for the auction itself, it was a huge success. Prices were robust, in virtually all the categories.”

About 350 people attended the auction live—a standing room-only crowd—while over 1,500 folks bid online. By the time the last gavel fell and all receipts were tallied, the event grossed around $2 million – not a bad haul in a still rather soft economy.

Following are additional highlights from the auction. Prices quoted include either a 10 percent buyer’s premium for live bidders; 13 percent for credit card purchases; or 18 percent for telephone and absentee bidders. About 150 telephone bids were recorded.

A Rock Island Railroad reverse glass sign, 90 inches by 26 inches and saying: “Rock Island Lines” on the glass and “Rocky Mountain Limited to Colorado” on the frame, in super condition, brought $60,500; and an extremely rare Bufffalo Brand Salted Peanuts two-sided outdoor wood sand sign, 10 1/2 feet by 11 inches, possibly the only one in existence, hit $26,400.

A horse race wheel of fortune with very rare reverse glass layout and table (with an odds maker) went for $31,900. The wheel boasted reverse glass painted panels, two of which had minor cracks. Otherwise the piece was in excellent condition. The table came with a glass layout, rarely seen, and the horses painted on the glass matched those on the wheel.

A Winchester “Factory Loaded Shells – Sold Everywhere” cloth banner, made by the Acme Sign Co. (Dayton, Ohio), 10 feet by 2 feet, with some tattering at the edges, the only one known, realized $22,420; and a Red Indian Stogies “3 For 5” cigar tin (for 50 cigars), made by the Meekin Can Co. (Cincinnati) for David M. Zolla, Distributor (Chicago) garnered $15,400.

A Rock-Ola jukebox, Commando Model 1420, one of the most dramatic and colorful of all the jukeboxes ever produced, made $20,650. The reverse painted example with glass pilasters was nearly all original and had been nicely restored by John Papa. Other jukeboxes sold included a Rock-Ola Model 1426, a Wurlitzer Model 1400 and the popular Wurlitzer Model 915.

A Keystone No. 980 “Ride ‘Em” toy Greyhound bus, mint in the box and made by Keystone Mfg. (Boston) in all original condition, with electric headlights, 22 1/2 inches long, sped off for $15,400; and an optometrist’s trade sign for Dr. R.A. Esslinger, circa 1910, with the proprietor’s name attached to a par of glasses, cast zinc with original paint, hit $10,450.

A 30-inch in diameter round porcelain ice cream sign for H.P. Hood & Sons, featuring beautiful color and a cow graphic, in overall great shape save for a few minor flaws, commanded $9,350; and a Watling “Guess Your Weight” nickel scale, made by the Watling Mfg. Co. (1902), 69 inches tall, oak with nickel trim and with the original gambling mechanism, went for $8,800.

A coin-operated 10-cent cigar vendor with original stenciling on the sides, in excellent all-original working condition, 6 inches by 9 1/2 inches by 16 inches, topped out at $8,800; and an exceedingly rare cast-iron umbrella stand depicting a swashbuckling figure and complete with an original tray and with most of the original paint intact, in excellent condition, coasted to $8,250.

A “Used Car Department” outdoor two-sided tin sand sign, with each sign mounted on inner support boards, in 100 percent original condition, 33 inches by 24 1/2 inches, hit the mark for $7,975; and a rare National Cash Register Model 6 barbershop-style cash register with an extended oak base, professionally restored and in fine working condition, cashed out at $4,675.

The fight for the right to enjoy a premium cigar is now on the White House steps. In their continuing effort to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from regulating premium cigars, the Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers association have submitted a formal petition to the White House’s “We the People” Internet petition website.

The petition demands that the Obama Administration stops the FDA from regulating the cigar industry. It argues that FDA regulations could mean the loss of 85,000 domestic jobs as well as 250,000 jobs in Latin America. Additionally, the petition notes that cigars are a nonaddictive, adult activity. (For the full version and to sign the petition, click here)

“It’s time for those that simply want to enjoy a great cigar to become a true political constituency,” said Glynn Loope, executive director of the Cigar Rights of America, in a press release. “It’s an election year, and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue need to know that there are thousands of voters, passionate about their cigars, that will vote this fall based upon who will stay out of their humidor. The FDA is controlled by the President’s administration, so it was time to send them a message.”

In order for the Obama Administration to review the petition, 25,000 people must sign it by May 11. So far 3,268 signatures have been gathered, so the CRA and IPCPR are calling for all cigar smokers to support the petition and sign.

The fight against the FDA goes back to 2009, when the FDA was granted full regulatory control of tobacco products like cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco when President Barack Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law. The FDA had an immediate impact on the cigarette industry—banning all flavored cigarettes save for menthol, limiting the release of new products, limiting advertising and placing restrictions on the use of words such as “light”—and other tobacco products, however, the cigar industry remained largely unrestricted.

In 2010, the FDA publicly declared its intent to regulate cigars. Rather than wait for potentially industry-threatening legislation to occur, though, the CRA, in conjunction with the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers association, decided to act.

Both pro-cigar organizations have been lobbying members of Congress to support H.R. 1639 and S. 1461, also known as the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Acts, which would, if passed, protect premium cigars from being legislated by the FDA. So far more than 176,000 emails have been sent to Congress, resulting in 160 co-sponsors from the House of Representatives and growing support from the Senate.

Like my colleagues, I’m an unabashed fan of Paul Gamirian’s cigars. I can’t think of one I’ve smoked I didn’t find to be excellent, and I’d heartily agree with Patrick A’s five-stogie review of the Symphony 20th. That cigar would be on my desert island list. But until recently I’d not only never smoked anything from the PG Artisan’s Passion line, I‘d never seen them. And even though Patrick S reviewed it in 2011, I wanted to sing its praises as well.

This three-cigar line stands out for quite a few reasons. Perhaps most noticeable is the price. The short robusto is $7.60 and each of the others rises by 60 cents. For a manufacturer who specializes in finely crafted, aged cigars blended from top-grade tobaccos, that’s a good price.

Another noticeable factor is a powerful, full-bodied smoke that’s composed of all Dominican tobaccos, still unusual this many years after the introduction of Opus X.

The 52-ring gauge cigar starts with pepper that recedes quickly, overtaken by a pleasant taste of grass and hay. It produces tons of smoke from the start and burns evenly from beginning to end.

At the halfway point of the six-inch stick, there’s a terrific mix of spice and sweetness that carries through for another inch or so. The blend is incredibly smooth and the finish is great.

If you’re lucky enough to find this cigar, light it up. I think you’ll agree that it earns four stogies out of five.

As youth residents of southwest Minnesota and members of Partners in Prevention, we were excited to join Southwest C.H.I.P for the 2012 Day at the Capitol. We appreciated being able to meet with Sen. Doug Magnus and Rep. Joe Schomacker. More than 300 Minnesotans came together in St. Paul to meet with their legislators, fight back against the tobacco industry and keep health a top priority this legislative session. One of the things we asked of our legislators was to close the loophole on so-called “little cigars” and support efforts to reclassify “little cigars” as what they really are — cigarettes.

Little cigars look and smoke like regular cigarettes, but because they have tobacco in the rolling paper, they are misclassified as “other tobacco products” and are not regulated and taxed like cigarettes. Little cigars, however, are every bit as dangerous and every bit as addictive. We know this firsthand as many of our friends have started smoking “little cigars” because they are cheap and taste like candy. They have fallen prey to the tobacco industry’s manipulative marketing and will soon be addicted, lifelong smokers. They will be replacements for the 1,200 smokers who die every day in this country.

A few weeks after our Day at the Capitol, an amendment to the omnibus tax bill was introduced that would have closed the “little cigar” loophole. We were very disappointed to see that the amendment did not pass on a largely party-line vote.

It is time we close the loophole and regulate little cigars for what they are — cigarettes. We hope our lawmakers will see that this issue needs to remain a priority.

You can keep rolling your own cigarettes and chomping stogies on the cheap — for now. The state budget lawmakers adopted last week snuffed out a bid by Gov. Cuomo to increase taxes on loose tobacco and cigars. The loose-tobacco tax increase was aimed at closing a loophole that makes it cheaper to get smokes at stores that provide easy-to-use rolling machines. Anti-smoking advocates criticized the move.

“It means cheap cigarettes will still be available and more people will smoke more cigarettes,” said Russell Sciandra, New York advocacy director for the American Cancer Society.
But New York Association of Convenience Stores President James Calvin said the Cuomo plan would have unintentionally hurt his members while driving smokers to illicit, untaxed products.

In the early days of Cigar Rights of America (CRA), the creation of the organization caused a stir for existing groups, especially the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR). While it’s often forgotten now, just days after the announcement of the founding of CRA in 2008, IPCPR moved to start its own organization for consumers. The group, called “Friends of the Industry,” was hastily announced just a day after CRA was unveiled.

Manufacturers, who had lined up behind, and provided the initial funding for, CRA were caught off guard by the IPCPR’s seemingly unplanned attempt to copy the CRA. “All the cigar manufacturers are lining up to be part of the CRA, and we invite the IPCPR to join our organization. I think we should work together,” Ashton president Robbie Levine told Cigar Aficionado.

Nothing much became of IPCPR’s consumer group, at least not officially. Though the association has (thankfully) made more effort lately to encourage consumers to contact their elected representatives, even if they’ve dropped the “Friends of the Industry” group name.

In hindsight this seems to be a good thing. My opinion is informed by being a member of Cigar Rights of America since soon after its founding, and becoming an online media member of the IPCPR last year. Now more than ever I’n glad the CRA was created.

Recently, the need for an independent consumer-oriented group has been reinforced by an ongoing controversy over the role of media (and specifically online media like StogieGuys.com) at the IPCPR annual trade show. My intention isn’t to get into that controversy, but if you want to read more I recommend checking out the opinions of Cigar Craig and Jerry of Stogie Review.

IPCPR primarily represents two key constituencies: the retailers whose numbers make up most of its ranks and the manufacturers who pay a large percentage of its fees, particularly to be part of the trade show. These are important groups, whose fundamental goals are in line with cigar smokers, especially when it comes to anti-tobacco zealots’ attempts to regulate and tax cigars out of existence.

But when it comes to smaller, more internal, issues, cigar consumers’ interests are not always perfectly in line with manufacturers or retailers. The debate over cigar media access to the annual trade show makes this clear. Our readers certainly benefit from our reporting (and that of others) from the trade show, even if some people would prefer a more controlled release of information. That’s part of why the Cigar Rights of America is so fundamental. It represents an increasingly independent voice for consumers and their interests. Cigar smokers need to join the CRA, so the organization can effectively represent cigar smokers exclusively.

“Industry” voices (both manufacturers and retailers) are important and should be supported. But the pure number of voting cigar smokers is a force they need to counter the anti-tobacco lobby. Join today and be proud that you’re a part of the solution.

It’s a quintessentially Cuban experience: Capping off a meal with a snifter of rum and an aromatic cigar.
This Caribbean nation is renowned around the world for its pungent Cohibas, Montecristos and Romeo y Julietas, but on the island, stogie-lovers are increasingly being told to take it outside. A number of state-owned restaurants in Havana’s picturesque colonial quarter have quietly gone smoke-free indoors in recent weeks as authorities there enforce a 2005 measure that has been almost universally flouted across the country.

The goal is to improve the culinary experience and safeguard the health of both diners and employees, but it’s also raising eyebrows among cigar aficionados and cigarette smokers who say the right to light up is part of the tropical country’s charm. Already, public smoking bans have spread to cities worldwide, from New York to Beijing.
Shocked tourists
“No-smoking areas? It’s incredible!” said Michael Kuntze, a 59-year-old German day care manager who was savoring a long cigar and sipping rum and cola in the Hotel Conde de Villanueva, home to one of the city’s most popular cigar rooms.

Kuntze and six other smokers from Hamburg were on a nine-day tobacco tour, sampling more than three cigars daily and selecting 50 each to bring home.
“That (no-smoking ordinances) is what we have in Europe, in Germany, but we don’t want this here,” he said, as aromatic smoke rose from the thick ash at the end of his stogie. “This is why we are here. Not to sit inside a small smoking lounge, no. Never.”
Officials say the Conde de Villanueva, a favorite of cigar tourists such as Kuntze, will continue to let guests and diners smoke.

At least nine state-run restaurants in the small, tourist-packed colonial area of Havana have banned smoking inside since the end of 2011, and more will do so in the near future, said Tannya Sibori, publicity manager for Habaguanex, the state-run business that administers tourist concerns in Old Havana.
Only sealed, air-conditioned dining rooms are affected, and Habaguanex restaurants all still have open-air spaces for smokers. There is no word on a ban for bars or nightclubs, and the owner of one of Havana’s private restaurants said he had received no guidance on whether the “paladares” must follow suit.
Habaguanex officials described it as a bottom-up trend rather than an order from on high, but they said it’s possible there could be an official decree at some point.

“There is a campaign at the world level in which we should also take part, where we are helping to create healthier spaces even for the smokers themselves,” Sibori said.
Diners still are welcome to enjoy their after-dinner cigar — just move to the outside tables, please, where you can people-watch on the quaint, cobblestone plazas and enjoy the balmy, tropical breeze.
“Cuba has an eternal summer, and you can take advantage of the terraces and exterior spaces,” Sibori said.
Still, such a thought is anathema to some in Cuba.
The island has an ingrained tobacco culture and is proud of its world-famous cigar industry, which brought in $401 million in sales last year. When other goods were in scarce supply, cigarettes continued for years to be part of islanders’ monthly ration books.
Even nonsmokers cherished the subsidized tobacco, which they sold on the black market or traded for other goods.

But Fidel Castro gave up his trademark Cohibas in 1985 on doctors’ orders, and authorities have gently discouraged the vice.
Getting the word out
Today, state-run radio airs public service announcements about the benefits of quitting, and cigarette packs carry health warnings. Cigarette dispensing machines have disappeared. Authorities began phasing out the tobacco ration in the 1990s and fully eliminated it in 2010.
Castro even joked about the ills of smoking cigars, saying “the best thing to do is give them to your enemy.”

Still, government numbers say as many as four of every 10 Cubans smoke — though that’s way down from estimates of 60 to 70 percent in the 1970s.
An island ‘tradition’
Cuba has had a resolution on the books since 2005 banning smoking in theaters, stores, buses, taxis, restaurants and other enclosed public areas. But many are unaware of the law, and it’s common to see people brazenly light up practically anywhere they theoretically shouldn’t: offices, stairwells, elevators, buses, trains. Farmers rise early to tend their crops with cigars dangling from the lip, and even elderly women meander through crumbling city streets chomping on soggy cigar stubs.
“This is a country of smokers, a country with an important tobacco tradition,” Sibori said. “Changing habits that form part of our roots is very difficult. I imagine that little by little things will be implemented so that this takes shape, but I still think there is much work to be done.”
The Habaguanex initiative also is being carried out with zero fanfare, and no announcement in state-run media.

On a recent afternoon in El Mercurio cafe, tables were packed with French tourists chowing down on pork loin, rice, beans and fried plantains. Missing was the stale, smoky haze that used to hang over the tables.
Waiters said they appreciate going home at night in clothing that doesn’t smell like an ashtray. Chefs take smoke breaks outside the back door without apparent complaint. There’s still some clandestine indoor smoking at some places late at night when most clients are gone, however.
“Why not?” said Thomas Gabrisch, a music professor from Dusseldorf, Germany, who was puffing on a slender cigarillo outside El Mercurio, in regards to if he was OK with the indoor ban.
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“I think (smoking) bothers a lot of people. For me it would not be a problem. … But I think a lot of people would like to stay inside.”
That sentiment was echoed by Dirk Brodersen, one of the aficionados from Hamburg, who said it was an adventure to be able to smoke the previous night at a basement music club.

New cigars are on their way to shelves from General Cigar Co. The company has shipped three new sizes of existing lines in the Macanudo and C.A.O. La Traviata cigar brands. The two new sizes in the Macanudo family are both in the extremely popular 6 by 60 size, the Macanudo Café Gigante and Macanudo Maduro Gigante. Each will retail for $7.99, and will be sold in 25-count boxes. The cigars could reach shops as early as this week. Director of public relations Victoria McKee said that these sizes are popular sellers. “It’s a continuing and maybe growing trend, this larger ring size.”

C.A.O.’s new addition is called the Luminoso, a 4 1/2-inch-long, 50 ring gauge version of the La Traviata Maduro line. Ed McKenna, brand manager for C.A.O., said, “C.A.O. La Traviata Luminoso is one of our top-sellers, so it was only natural that we gave C.A.O. fans a new take on one of their favorite cigars.”

The suggested retail for this new cigar will be $5.10, and they will be sold in 30-count boxes.

Following worldwide bans on smoking in public places, cigar bars have become something of an endangered species. But we’ve spotted a few of the clubby, usually dimly lit dens making appearances once more—this time ensconced in luxury hotels. And in some of the new iterations, they’ve got technology on their side—advanced air filtration systems make spending time in one a breath of fresh air. Here are a few of the best cigar lounges around the globe.

For both business and pleasure, cigar bars first made their comeback in London, where boutique hotel DUKES London welcomes stogie-loving guests in the Cognac and Cigar Garden. The secluded patio behind the hotel offers a long list of cognacs to accompany the Cubans. Ten Manchester Street Hotel’s all-weather cigar terrace lets you take your pick from cupboard-style humidors stocked with Cohibas and Montecristos and even hosts monthly cigar talks with specially paired drinks. London’s latest? A cigar garden—with a retractable roof—will open outside Mark’s Bar at the new Belgraves hotel in March, soon to be followed by a cigar bar opening in May Fair Hotel this spring (complete with a cigar concierge).

On the other side of the world, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing’s swanky Davidoff Lounge welcomes guests nightly until 2 a.m. For those set to impress, the bar’s VIP rooms (which are equipped with everything from card tables to Wii stations and karaoke machines) are available for business meetings and private parties. Davidoff cigars from the Dominican Republic are the top choice here, but you can also puff away on hand-rolled Cubans.

U.S hotels have picked up on this old-school tradition, too—Florida (given its proximity to Cuba) hosts some of the grandest smoking rooms in the nation, and thanks to filtration systems, many of them allow you to smoke inside. The Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne’s onsite Rumbar lounge is a Havana-inspired watering hole with a private humidor and live Latin music on the weekends. You have to smoke outside here, but the year-round warm weather means there aren’t many complaints.

A little further north, where golfers meet beach-goers, Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast keeps tradition alive at their Crown Jewel Cigar Bar. Cigar aficionados will appreciate the décor reminiscent of a 19th century London cigar bar—not to mention being able to smoke inside—and you can choose your stick from the walk-in humidor stocked with Crown Jewel Series cigars, as well as Ashtons and Padrons. The leather and wood-filled space offers plenty of nostalgia—a draw for even the modern cigar devotee.