Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars

DEMOCRATS CHOKE CIGARS IN WASHINGTON

Plus: Silly auction bidding for Hemingway Classics

Los Angeles, September 19 – With the renewal date for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) coming up in less than two weeks, Democrats who control the House and Senate are cobbling together the outlines of a compromise bill that they can pass and send to President George W. Bush for signature or veto.

And the news is not good, as noted in a circular from Chris McCalla at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association:

“In an attempt to get the SCHIP legislation passed before the current program expires September 30, the House Democratic leadership has agreed to accept the Senate version of the legislation for the framework of a compromise bill. The Senate version, H.R. 976, currently proposes to increase the OTP excise tax rate on cigars to 53.12 percent with a $3 cap per individual cigar.

“Determined, strategic lobbying continues of key Senate Finance committee members seeking amendments to the proposed legislation before it advances through the process. Of the amendments sought, we are working to have the floor stocks tax provision on cigars removed from the legislation. Additionally, we continue working for a much lower tax rate and cigar tax cap, one that is both reasonable and fiscally-acceptable for all of our retail members.

“In addition to our lobbying efforts from our Association position, the Latin American-cigar producing countries also continue to lobby their counterparts in Washington, D.C., at this draconian tax increase will too have catastrophic consequences, specifically on the 3.5 million people, workers and their families, who directly rely on the handmade cigar industry.

“The President remains adamant he will veto the Senate bill and it appears that there are not enough votes in the House to over-ride that veto. Following the potential veto, the political game begins as the Democrats face the choice of either keeping the issue alive for political purposes or entering into negotiations with the White House.

“Our lobbyists and others heavily-involved in this tax fight view a presidential veto as the most likely end result. We are leaving no stone unturned in protecting our members against this egregious tax increase and will continue lobbying Congress for these needed amendments.”

Once again, the Association urges every smoker to lobby their House member and Senators to oppose this legislation. One of the easiest ways to do so is to visit the Cigar Association of America website by clicking here.

Club Macanudo back in operation:
After some needed construction work, New York’s iconic Club Macanudo is re-opening today at 5 p.m.

Naturally, there will be free cigars for the first 50 people who job up the steps of the club and the Enrique Lopez band will entertain. On Tuesday, the facility was used for a film shoot for an upcoming film titled “Burn After Reading.” It stars George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt and Malkovich was part of the scenes filmed inside.

Hammer time:
The latest of the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Series to be offered at Famous Smoke Shop’s CigarAuctioneer.com was the Classic, a seven-inch by 48-ring beauty with a perfecto tip.

It retails for $7.25 each before local tobacco taxes and in the auction ending on Monday, 14 bidders won one or more cigars.

The highest bid was a fairly ridiculous $50.00 for one cigar, followed by equally amazing bids of $15.00 and $12.95 before declining to more reasonable levels. The lowest winning bid was $7.01 and the biggest spender was a bidder who bought five cigars for $8.00 each ($40.00 total).

The total spent on the 25 individual cigars was $254.97, an average of $10.20 each. On Famous’s own web site, you can buy five Classics for $36.75 (in stock) or a box of 25 Classics for $161.95 (out of stock).

Up this week is the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Series Short Story, a 4-inch by 48-ring short robusto that retails for $4.60 each.

On eBay, a pre-embargo H. Upmann jar that held 25 Crystales sold for a remarkable $222.50. The jar was only in fair condition and did not have the interior cedar pieces. Yet it sold for about three times what such a jar usually brings. Also on eBay:

• Three boxes of Partagas 160 Signature Series cigars sold last week for near their retail prices. The Robusto (5 x 50) drew 13 bids for the box of 25 that sold for $280.00; the Robusto Minor (4 1/2 x 48) box gathered 12 bids and a final price of $270.99 and the larger Robusto Major (5 1/2 x 52) earned 14 bids and a final price of $306.69.

• An older box of Partagas 150 A cigars (6 3/4 x 43) also drew quite a bit of interest, with 11 bids and a final price of $355.69.

• Padron 40th Anniversary cigars have maintained their value, three years after being introduced. Two boxes of these 1926 Series torpedoes were on auction in the last two weeks and went for $621.99 and $608.99 for a full box of 20, between $30.45 and $31.10 each.

• There’s lots of action on Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars, too much to review in detail. One box of 29 Opus X Robustos (5 1/2 x 50) was purchased for $750.00 or $25.86 apiece, about the going rate for this still-cherished cigar.

But then again, there was an auction of a single Opus X BBMF (6 1/2 x 64 with a fantail head) in a glass tube . . . that sold for $85.00!
~ Rich Perelman

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