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ORSON WELLES IS A BIG FAT . . . ZERO?!?

Plus: steals and deals from Famous Smoke Shop and free Flipbooks for CigarWire subscribers

Los Angeles, November 12 – Orson Welles was a legendary filmmaker and an avid cigar smoker. Like so many in the show business community, he was a member of the New York-based Friars Club and entertained his friends with food, drink and cigars.

His Friars Club humidor was on auction on eBay this week, complete with a note of authentication from the Friars Club captain. It’s a dark brown box with a silver plate reading “O.Welles Friars Club NY.” The seller estimated the date of the box from the 1930s; Welles was born in 1915, rose to stardom with his radio broadcast of the “War of the Worlds” in 1938 and made his signature film, ”Citizen Kane,” in 1941. He died in 1985.

However, the box probably dates from the 1950s, since the Friars didn't have a permanent clubhouse after the Depression until 1950 and moved in their current quarters (humidors and all) on West 55th Street in New York in 1957.

Unfortunately, with the starting price set at $3,000, it drew a total of . . . zero bidders.

It also appears that eBay may be enforcing its ban on sales of tobacco products a little more vigorously, as a series of auctions for individual Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars for between $26-30 per stick was removed. There are, however, still plenty of offers for “mint condition, collectible boxes” of cigars with their cellophane wrapping intact (along with the contents).

Steals and Deals:
We’ve updated our CigarWire Comparison Shopper spreadsheet with Arthur Zaretsky’s hundreds of changes for Famous Smoke Shop. He’s cooked up a few deals worth investigating:

• Nice five-pack promotion on Arturo Fuente’s original Gran Reserva line. This brand ranked no. 4 in our list of full-bodied cigars, so if you’re in the mood for big-time flavor, these specials are for you:

> Flor Fina 8-5-8 (6 x 47), 5 for $18.95 (limit 2);
> Chateau Fuente (4 1/2 x 50), 5 for $17.95 (limit 2);
> Double Chateau (6 3/4 x50), 5 for $23.95 (limit 2);
> Privada No. 1 (6 3/4 x 44), was $90.95, now $79.95 for a box of 25.

• Astral Grand Reserve Perfeccion No. 2 (7 x 48 torpedo), was $44.95, now $29.95 for 10.

• All shapes of C.A.O. Gold, which we ranked no. 20 in our list of medium-bodied cigars, are on sale at Famous for $6-10 off per box of 20. Best value: the Corona Gorda, a flavorful 6 1/2 x 50 toro, at $75.95 for a box of 20.

• Carlos Torano Tribute, also a ranked cigar – 27th on our list of full-bodied brands – now $149.95 for a box of 22 Churchills, regularly $189.95!

• Cuban Parejos, a series of fat cigars from the Tabacalera Perdomo with a medium-to-full-bodied taste, available in the Epicure (6 x 62) size for $89.95 for a box of 20, down from $125.95.

Short Smokes:
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that smoking among U.S. adults fell one percentage point to 22.1% in 2003. The CDC’s goal is to get smoking down to 12.5% among adults nationally, but only Utah (at 12%) had reduced smoking to that level. California is next lowest at 16.6%. “It’s a slow decline, but at least it is still going down,” said Dr. Corinne Husten, acting director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. Comment: the CDC should be irritated. In the most virulent anti-smoking environment since Queen Victoria sat on the British throne 100 years ago, more than one in five American adults still strike a blow for liberty. Despite all of the pleadings, warnings and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on anti-tobacco campaigns, the smoking rate among adults has dropped a grand total of 1.9 percent in the last six years!

• Following the lead of neighboring Ireland, Scotland is now proposing a ban on smoking in enclosed public places. “Scotland has one of the worst health reputations in western Europe,” said First Minister Jack McConnell in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Great, now Scotland’s reputation is more important than individual freedom. You think some of Scotland’s health problems might also be attributable to alcohol and diet? Don’t laugh, they just haven’t gotten around to legislating food yet. I guess they’ll have to improve the level of dentistry in the country first!

Join in to flip out:
Our handy “Rankings Flipbook” was mailed to all subscribers to our CigarWire service this week. All new subscribers during the month of November will also receive the Flipbook, a 3-by-5-inch guide to our rankings of mild, medium and full-bodied cigars that’s a perfect companion the next time you find yourself in a strange walk-in humidor! Get yours now by signing up today, just $2 a month for a year’s subscription!
~ Rich Perelman

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