First order
Dunhill’s or The Art of the Cigar Label
by Jilliana
Ranicar-Breese
In Paris in
the 80s I came across a stack of mint condition
embossed cigar labels just waiting for me. They
were large for the inside of the cigar box plus
the seals and smaller rectangular labels with the
same design which went on the outside of the box.
I bought one of each, there were about 35 and
when I got back to London, invested in a
presentation album to put my treasures in. Where
to get an order of consequence?
One afternoon I was walking along Jermyn Street
when I noticed Dunhills. Bingo! I was not dressed
for the occasion and had never been in such a
smart traditional men’s shop before.
Clutching my precious album I approached a smart
British snobbish lady with a plum in her throat
and said I wanted to see the marketing manager.
Did I have an appointment?
Did I have a business card?
No was the answer.
The woman looked confused because she of course
had never seen a vintage cigar label in her life
and had no idea what I was talking about. I was
told to wait and she disappeared into the unknown.
Within minutes she came back breathless. Gone was
the plum in her throat when she announced that Mr
Weir
Would give me an audience.
I had not heard that word before but followed her
to an upper floor full of executive offices. Mr
Robin Weir was waiting for me beaming with an
outstretched hand. Never had I been treated so
royally after all I was off the street so to
speak.
Mr Weir sat down to inspect my merchandise
thoroughly with an elegant magnifier. He
understood what I had brought him and
spontaneously said Dunhills would give me an
order of 30 of each label.
At that time I was living in Paris so the clever
Mr Weir suggested the Paris office pay me and the
delivery of the labels would be to their office.
Back I went to Paris and purchased for cash, bien
sur, the stock which I would live off for years.
I never asked Mr Weir what he planned to do with
my labels and did not find out until years later
when I bought a heavy American book on the Art of
the cigar label first edition 1989. In the
preface it explained that collectors in the USA
had woken up to their true heritage and had
started to collect their own culture inspired by
an exhibition at Macy’s of framed beautiful
European cigar labels at high prices.
Robin Weir and myself had accidentally influenced
the American Ephemera collectibles market prices.
Written
10/2/2025 at Nightingale.
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