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CHURCHILL HUMIDOR BRINGS A STRONG PRICE

Plus: Davidoff Madison turns 20!

Los Angeles, June 11 – Among his fellow Britons as well as cigar smokers, Winston Churchill is iconic.

So it should have been no surprise when a humidor presented to Churchill upon his election to the House of Commons in 1900 from the town which elected him – Oldham – sold for 13 times more than expected.

Sold as a part of a large program of 20th Century items by Christie’s last week, the humidor (pictured above) started life as a cabinet, which was converted by adding four cigar trays. It was one of several gifts given to Churchill by The Primrose League, a Conservative organization. The lid bears an engraved plaque which is inscribed “Presented to Mr. W.S. Churchill on being elected Member of Parliament for Oldham, 1st October 1900.”

Expected to earn 1,000-1,500 British pounds ($1,967 to 2,950 U.S.), the item brought £14,400 or about $28,324!

Nick Worskett of Christie’s told the Manchester Evening News that the items were on the market for the first time. Why did the humidor do so well? “Simple,” he said, “the association. Churchill, cigars . . . it had everything going for it and did extremely well.”

It wasn’t the only piece of cigar memorabilia at the sale. A cigar punch in the shape of an owl, also a gift to Churchill upon his election in 1900, was sold for £1,200 (about 2,360 U.S.).

Fired up!
Keith Park of Prometheus International worked diligently with the Fuente family to create a special line of cigars which would not only be popular, but could also serve as a fund-raising vehicle for the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation that works to provide facilities and services for people living in the Dominican Republic.

The result was the God of Fire brand, issued annually in limited quantities. The 2007 edition is now out and includes three cigars:

• God of Fire by Don Carlos, 2005 Robusto: 5 1/4 inches by 50 ring, offered in boxes of 10 for a suggested retail price of $189.50.

• God of Fire by Carlito, 2005 Double Robusto: 5 3/4 inches by 52 ring, offered in boxes of 10 for $199.50 per box.

• God of Fire Churchill by Carlito, 2005 Churchill: 7 inches by 48 ring, offered in boxes of 10 for $230.00 per box.

As the name indicates, the Robusto was blended by Carlos Fuente and the Double Robusto and Churchill by Carlos Fuente, Jr. (Carlito). All of these cigars were rolled in 2005 and have been aged for two years. Only 700 boxes of each size will be issued for a total run of 21,000 cigars. The cigars are now boxed without individual cedar coffins to reduce the retail pricing by about 20 percent, but each box has a unique serial number and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

In each of the previous God of Fire series, the cigars have featured Dominican-grown binder and filler and Cameroon wrappers on those cigars made by Carlito Fuente and Ecuadorian-grown, Connecticut-seed wrappers used on the cigars made by Carlos Fuente.

It was 20 years ago today . . .
No, this isn’t a spin on the Beatles’ famous first line of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” but a salute to the 20-year anniversary of the first Davidoff store in the United States, located at 535 Madison Avenue in New York.

Davidoff Madison is now one of six Davidoff boutiques in the U.S., located in only two cities: New York (two stores) and Las Vegas (four). But as the flagship, it gets special attention.

Although it opened in 1987, the store itself is in a new location (but with the same address) next door to its original quarters, now at 54th Street and Madison in New York. The new facility comprises 3,800 square feet and includes a second-floor lounge called “The Keep.”

For the second time in its history, the Davidoff Madison store is being saluted with a limited-edition cigar. The first was issued in 1997 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the store. Called the “535” after the store address, it was a six-inch by 50-ring cigar offered in boxes of 10. Only 1,000 boxes were made and, of course all were sold quickly, helping to start the whole “Limited Edition” craze. Habanos S.A. did not begin its “Edicion Limitada” program until three years later in 2000; were they influenced by the success of the Davidoff 535? Davidoff started its own limited-edition program in 2002.

Now, a new cigar for the 20th anniversary of the 535 Madison store has been produced. Unnamed as yet, it’s even rarer than its predecessor: only 5,000 cigars were made. They’re 5 1/8-inch by 52-ring robustos, made in the Dominican Republic with an Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper. The binder is Dominican Olor with four types of Dominican-grown leaves in the filler: seven-year-aged Piloto Seco, two styles of seven-year-aged San Vicente Ligero (from different farms) and four-year-aged Criollo.

They’ll debut at a party held in the store tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Master roller Ramon Emilio Cruz will be producing cigars as guests watch, with entertainment from the Alex Leonard Trio and the customary refreshments.

The two Davidoff stores in New York (the other is at Columbus Circle) and the four in Las Vegas are the only Davidoff stores in North America. There are 53 worldwide with 23 in Europe and the rest scattered around the globe. In addition, Davidoff cigars and accessories are available at about 500 “appointed merchants” worldwide who are the only stores to carry the Davidoff (white label) line.

In the meantime, happy 20th to Davidoff Madison with a wish for many, many more happy anniversaries.
~ Rich Perelman

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