Federal tax laws required all cigar boxes made in the U.S. to have:
[1] tax stamps (1863-1959),
[2] factory I.D.’s (1866-1960’s),
[3] caution notices (1868-1959)
[4] tax class notices (1917-1959)
Cigar makers were required to identify themselves on cigar boxes between 1866 and 1959, and in modified form for a few decades thereafter. ID’s were an important element in the war on tax evaders because they told a tax inspector three vital facts: who made the cigars, where the factory was located, and how many cigars were in the box. Factory IDs are the only printed matter on a cigar box you can count on to be true.