Was at an Antique market last weekend and scoured the booths looking for cigar stuff. Didn't find too much, but I did grab a few goodies.
First off. 1 full and 1 partial cigar mold. The vendor picked up 37 pairs in Germany recently and stated these are from te 1902 - 1905 time frame. I picked up the last of what she had.
Partial mold. Front view. 10 slots for figurado style panatelas judging from the size.
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Back view. Not much to look at. You can make out a groove where the vice made contact with the wood when the cigars were pressed.
Side View: The word "Peters" is legible. Can't make out the rest ATM.
Intact pair. Exact same sized vitola. Slightly different dimentions overall and only 1 peg/hole combo.
Also found this old Italian Toscano box. Imported by a company in Montreal. Based on the tax stamp I'd estimate these are from 1935 onwards.
Final thoughts.
I've always wanted some cigar molds. I'd love to get Cuban ones but I have never seen them on the market. It seems that the inventory available is mostly American or European Clear Havana era molds. Of note. These things STINK. They have a strong, dusty, musty cigar box odor to them. In between some of the slots I scraped out dried, shards of tobacco leaf. I imagine they must have been used 100's, 1000's of times? Therefore they must be loaded with tobacco oils. I gave them a wash and scrub in some warm, soapy water. I was using a light abrasive pad and then finished it with paper towels. There were gross greenish/brown stains coming off of it. In the back of my mind I was hoping that I wasn't releasing dormant Spanish Flu spores or bacteria. After drying them with paper towels I bandished them to the garage to air dry. While they still have some aroma to them, it is far less nasty and so far. No Spanish Flu. If cigar molds are on your radar. Beware of the condition you find them in. Depending on where and how they stored could affect their "appeal". Definitely give them a wash.