To Whom It May Concern:
I recently purchased a (registered) 1832 cigar box at a local Estate Sale.
DESCRIPTION:
On the top/cover of the cigar box,
in hand-laid red-and-gold-leaf letters,
is the following words/information:
J.M. Barrie
Maud Adams
Little Minister
(From my own research, I know that J.M. Barrie wrote and directed the play "The
Little Minister" in 1832....And Maud Adams starred in the original cast when
"The Little Minister" first made its stage debut....)
On the back of the cigar box cover is "branded/burned" the following
information:
Class B cigars, as indicated
by the Internal revenue
stamp affixed
Factory No. 81 11th Dist. O
On the bottom part of the box -on the front side-is the following
word/information:
Puritanos
On the bottom of the cigar box, the following words/information is
"branded/burned" into the wood:
Notice!
The Manufacturers of the cigars herein have compiled with all the Requirements
of Law--Every Person is cautioned not to use either this Box for Cigars again or
the Stamp thereon again nor to remove the Contents of this Box without
Destroying said stamp under the Penalties provided by Law in such cases
Factory No. 81 11th Dist. O 50
AND.....in my personal opinion...the best & most interesting "part"/information
I found upon examining the cigar box is:
On the bottom of the box, in the
upper-right corner - written
in/using a pencil-or-pen-type of
writing "tool" - is J.M. Barrie's
ORIGINAL signature!
I have 2 questions which, I hope, you can answer:
1) Is the cigar box I purchased
100% an authentic original
from 1832?
2). How much (in the "general
ballpark"
is this cigar box
worth in USA Dollars?
While I am not interested in selling this item, I AM very much interested in a) learning more about my antique item; and b) getting a "general worth value (in USA Dollars)" of my antique cigar box.
So any assistance/"tips" you can give me to "point me in the right direction" would be more than greatly appreciated!
Thank You for your help & understanding in regards to this matter. I excitedly
await your response!
Sincerely,
NHennig@aol.com
