Mike and Mary McNiel of McClelland Tobacco asked me to help them get the word out about several tins of tobacco that were recently discovered among their company artifacts---and will be be sold this coming week---at the Chicago show. These tins could literally be the last of their kind in the world.
Obviously, they will probably be sold to an affluent collector who covets the rarest of the rare; but it is also possible that a group of enthusiasts could pool their money and share the contents for the most memorable bowls of their lives. (What an evening that would make!)
Here is the official word, straight from Mike and Mary:
OUTSTANDING FULL, UNOPENED VINTAGE TIN COLLECTION AVAILABLE FOR SALE By Mike McNiel
Fred Hanna said, "These Dunhills are not collectors' cans, they are museum pieces." He also told me he had never seen Savory's Savory Blend. I don't know anyone who has.
All will be for sale at the 2013 Chicagoland Pipe Show. Terms are CASH ONLY.
The Dunhill tins, I believe, are from 1940 to 1953. All but the Durbar have tax stamps, and they are all marked, "By Appointment to the Late King George VI." They are bloated with gas and could be the last of their kind on Earth. Even the Great Fred Hanna said, "I've never seen anything like this…" and we all know that Fred knows everything.
DUNHILL's Standard Mixture 4 oz --- starting bid $1500
DUNHILL's Aperitif 4 oz --- starting bid $1500
DUNHILL's Three Year Matured 4 oz --- starting bid $1500
DUNHILL's Durbar 4 oz --- starting bid $1500
SAVORY Savory Blend 4 oz --- starting bid $1400
---ALSO AVAILABLE---
Vintage John Cotton Smyrna 50 gram
Vintage John Cotton Smyrna 1.75 oz
Vintage John Cotton Honeydew 50 gram
5 tins Vintage Balkan-Sobranie 759 (black tin w/pull-top)
5 tins Vintage Balkan Sobranie 759 (white tin w/759 sticker applied)
* We will be accepting sealed (silent) bids for the Dunhill and Savory blends during the CPCC Show at the McClelland Tobacco display table in the expo hall, where the tins will be displayed, and the winners will be announced at noon on Sunday, May 5th.
