Dating Tax Class Notices

A National Cigar Museum Exclusive 

© Tony Hyman



Last modified: 10-12-2009

Tax Class Paid Notices

   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 (1917-1970’s)

    Tax Class Notices can be some help in dating.

    After 1917 a Tax Class Notice is required to be on the front or bottom of every box for the next 40 years. There’s no easier way to tell at a glance whether a box is before 1917 or after 1917.


    Golden Age boxes don’t have tax paid notices.        

    Machine age (1917-1959) boxes do. 

    Modern (after 1960) boxes don’t.


    OLD ABE is a very typical 1920’s box. You can see the Tax Class A Notice on the right and the orange on blue tax stamp (1917-1942) on the left. Front or bottom, if there’s a Tax Class Notice on the box it can’t date before 1917. If the Tax Class Notice does not mention the price of the cigars, it dates 1917-1918. If the Notice gives a range of selling prices, it dates 1919 - 1980’s.


   

1917                                 

• On the front, nearly  always pasted

• Nickel cigars were Class A

• Dime cigars were Class C

• Retail price of cigars not given

• No mention of tax stamp

• Rarest form






1917 & 1918                                 

• On the front, usually pasted

• Nickel cigars were Class A

• Dime cigars were Class C

• Retail price of cigars not given

• Standard wording of early Tax Class Notice






1919 to 1942                                 

• On front or bottom, usually printed

• Five classes:  A,B,C,D,E

• Nickel cigars were Class A

• Dime cigars were Class C

  1. Cuban cigars were Class E

  2. Most common tax class