Dating Tax Class Notices
A National Cigar Museum Exclusive
© Tony Hyman
 
Tax Class Paid Notices
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          
    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                                  
  1.  On the front, nearly  always pasted
  2.  Nickel cigars were Class A
  3.  Dime cigars were Class C
  4.  Retail price of cigars not given
  5.  No mention of tax stamp
  6.  Rarest form
 
 
 
 
 
1917 & 1918                                  
  1.  On the front, usually pasted
  2.  Nickel cigars were Class A
  3.  Dime cigars were Class C
  4.  Retail price of cigars not given
  5.  Standard wording of early Tax Class Notice
 
 
 
 
 
1919 to 1942                                  
  1.  On front or bottom, usually printed
  2.  Five classes:  A,B,C,D,E
  3.  Nickel cigars were Class A
  4.  Dime cigars were Class C
  5.  Cuban cigars were Class E
 
   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.