DATING ENGLISH TINNED TOBACCO: Difference between revisions

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Until recent years English tobacco blending laws prohibited blenders in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from using the chemicals commonly found in the blends of Continental Europe and the United States and placed very strict limitations on the use of natural additives. Out of these restrictions arose the traditional English blends, blends which derive their distinctive aroma and flavor from the natural properties of the tobacco as opposed to chemical additives.
Until recent years English tobacco blending laws prohibited blenders in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from using the chemicals commonly found in the blends of Continental Europe and the United States and placed very strict limitations on the use of natural additives. Out of these restrictions arose the traditional English blends, blends which derive their distinctive aroma and flavor from the natural properties of the tobacco as opposed to chemical additives.


Natural products, free of chemical additives and preservatives, change and mature with age. Tobacco is no exception and this is especially true of virginia tobacco which has a high sugar content. Initially sharp and biting, virginia tobacco will mellow and sweeten over decades. Oriental tobaccos will also evolve in time, most notably latakia, traditionally the most desirable of aged tin tobacco, which will both soften and grow more pungent. On the other hand some tobaccos, such as burley will not change appreciably with age. <span style="font-size:small">[I suspect that the aging of tobaccos treated with chemical additives and/or preservatives is effected in two ways. First, preservatives will retard the aging process. Second, the chemicals and the tobaccos will neither uniformly age nor maintain the original balance of flavors. Personal experiences leads me to believe that for at least the first decade the chemical component becomes more noticeable as the years go by. For these reasons I generally avoid 'cellering' of chemically treated or preserved tobaccos and tend to believe the manufacturers of those blends when they state that their blends are best smoked shortly after purchase.]</span> Since English blends are invariably based on virginia or virginia and oriental tobaccos and rarely use burley tobaccos, a tin of traditionally blended English tobacco will evolve for decades. <span style="font-size:small">[It is important to note that this is true not only for English 'virginia' and 'latakia' blends but also for English cavendish and matured press flake or roll blends. While these latter blends invariably contain natural additives, traditionally, unlike 'non english' blends of similar name, that use was very limited and the tobaccos used were of the highest quality virginias as opposed to burleys or low grade leaf.]</span>
Natural products, free of chemical additives and preservatives, change and mature with age. Tobacco is no exception and this is especially true of virginia tobacco which has a high sugar content. Initially sharp and biting, virginia tobacco will mellow and sweeten over decades. Oriental tobaccos will also evolve in time, most notably latakia, traditionally the most desirable of aged tin tobacco, which will both soften and grow more pungent. On the other hand some tobaccos, such as burley will not change appreciably with age. <span style="font-size:small">[I suspect that the aging of tobaccos treated with chemical additives and/or preservatives is effected in two ways. First, preservatives will retard the aging process. Second, the chemicals and the tobaccos will neither uniformly age nor maintain the original balance of flavors. Personal experiences leads me to believe that for at least the first decade the chemical component becomes more noticeable as the years go by. For these reasons I generally avoid 'cellering' of chemically treated or preserved tobaccos and tend to believe the manufacturers of those blends when they state that their blends are best smoked shortly after purchase.] </span> Since English blends are invariably based on virginia or virginia and oriental tobaccos and rarely use burley tobaccos, a tin of traditionally blended English tobacco will evolve for decades. <span style="font-size:small">[It is important to note that this is true not only for English 'virginia' and 'latakia' blends but also for English cavendish and matured press flake or roll blends. While these latter blends invariably contain natural additives, traditionally, unlike 'non english' blends of similar name, that use was very limited and the tobaccos used were of the highest quality virginias as opposed to burleys or low grade leaf.] </span>


English blenders long recognized the importance of age in the blending process and before the high cost of money dictated otherwise, they aged their tobaccos at three stages, prior to blending, prior to tinning, and prior to shipment. Beginning in the mid to late 1970's however, rising interest rates and the invasion of the industry by MBAs forced the use of younger tobacco. Coincidentally it was also about this time that blenders began to run out of Syrian latakia. Unquestionably Syria produced the finest latakia, but the heat/smoke process consumed so much wood that in the early 1970's the Syrian government banned the manufacture to save what remained of its forests. The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a concentration of the English tobacco industry and by the end of the decade for instance, both Dunhill and Rattray had farmed out production of their blends to third party English blenders with noticeable changes in the blends resulting from the transitions. Twenty years later, in the 1990's, production of most English blends (Dunhill being the most notable exception) shifted to the Continent resulting in quite significant changes in the blending and characteristics of the blends, the most important of which being the common use of chemical additives.
English blenders long recognized the importance of age in the blending process and before the high cost of money dictated otherwise, they aged their tobaccos at three stages, prior to blending, prior to tinning, and prior to shipment. Beginning in the mid to late 1970's however, rising interest rates and the invasion of the industry by MBAs forced the use of younger tobacco. Coincidentally it was also about this time that blenders began to run out of Syrian latakia. Unquestionably Syria produced the finest latakia, but the heat/smoke process consumed so much wood that in the early 1970's the Syrian government banned the manufacture to save what remained of its forests. The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a concentration of the English tobacco industry and by the end of the decade for instance, both Dunhill and Rattray had farmed out production of their blends to third party English blenders with noticeable changes in the blends resulting from the transitions. Twenty years later, in the 1990's, production of most English blends (Dunhill being the most notable exception) shifted to the Continent resulting in quite significant changes in the blending and characteristics of the blends, the most important of which being the common use of chemical additives.
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[Besides dating, tins and similarity of tins can also be used to identify the actual manufacturer of blends. For instance blends in the '60s - '70s from the famed English 'high end' pipe shop Simmons come in exactly the same 4 ounce 'tall boy' coin twist tin used by Dunhill at that time - obviously Dunhill was the blender. Likewise, in the comparison the English made Ashton pop tops and those of the last English blender of Rattray are from the same English blender. As we know that the Rattray blender was Robert McConnell it follows that it too was the Ashton blender. Similarly, the McConnell coin twist tins of the '60s-'70s are fairly distinctive, so when one comes across 'store brand' 'Made in England' tins from Leavitt & Peirce (a famed Cambridge, Massachusetts pipe shop) in the same distinctive style and with McConnell blend names the conclusion is self evident. More intriguing is that at the same time Leavitt & Peirce offered its 'Made in England' blends in 8 ounce key top tins, assumedly also produced by McConnell. English key top tins however, are unusual otherwise known only from Fribourg and Treyer and John Cotton, both important albeit deceased UK pipe shops, which in turn leads to the speculation that perhaps McConnell was the blender of these blends as well. Hopefully, response to this article will allow for better definition of the 'true blenders' of the many British and American 'store brand' 'made in England' blends.]
[Besides dating, tins and similarity of tins can also be used to identify the actual manufacturer of blends. For instance blends in the '60s - '70s from the famed English 'high end' pipe shop Simmons come in exactly the same 4 ounce 'tall boy' coin twist tin used by Dunhill at that time - obviously Dunhill was the blender. Likewise, in the comparison the English made Ashton pop tops and those of the last English blender of Rattray are from the same English blender. As we know that the Rattray blender was Robert McConnell it follows that it too was the Ashton blender. Similarly, the McConnell coin twist tins of the '60s-'70s are fairly distinctive, so when one comes across 'store brand' 'Made in England' tins from Leavitt & Peirce (a famed Cambridge, Massachusetts pipe shop) in the same distinctive style and with McConnell blend names the conclusion is self evident. More intriguing is that at the same time Leavitt & Peirce offered its 'Made in England' blends in 8 ounce key top tins, assumedly also produced by McConnell. English key top tins however, are unusual otherwise known only from Fribourg and Treyer and John Cotton, both important albeit deceased UK pipe shops, which in turn leads to the speculation that perhaps McConnell was the blender of these blends as well. Hopefully, response to this article will allow for better definition of the 'true blenders' of the many British and American 'store brand' 'made in England' blends.]
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'''Origin'''
A large bold face lower case "'''e;'''" on the tin or label indicates that the tin dates from the 1980's or 1990 and is never found on tins prior to the late 1970's. <span style="font-size:small">[Note however, that the converse is not true, i.e. tins dating from the '80s & '90s may be found without an "'''e'''".] </span> The "'''e'''" references the Euromarket.
Prior to the 1980's the country of origin on English tins was generally indicated as being "Great Britain", "England", "Scotland" or Northern Ireland". Beginning in the 1980's however, the tendency has been to use "United Kingdom".
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'''Weight'''
While there are exceptions, generally speaking:
*weight labeled only in ounces suggests the mid 1970's or earlier. 1 ounce or less tins (that are not obviously samples) especially in the form of 'short filled' 2 ounce sized tins, suggest 1950's or earlier, but are known in later decades as well. Even numbered ounces only, i.e. 2, 4, and 8 ounce tins (other than Germain's Esoterica blends) strongly suggests mid 1970's or earlier, especially if that weight is embossed on the bottom of the tin. While fractional ounce only tins, e.g. 1 3/4 ounces, suggest the mid 1970's or earlier, it is not that unusual to also see them after the mid 1970's.
*weight labeled both in ounces and grams suggests the late 1970's to present. However, two styles strongly suggest only the mid to late 1970's: (i) dual weights embossed on the bottom of the tin or (ii) dual weight labeling where the ounce weight is a whole number, e.g. 2 oz / 56 gr (other than Germain's Esoterica blends); and
*weight labeled only in grams strongly suggests the 1980s to present, although it should be noted that Republic of Ireland tins dating to the 1940's and 1950's may be found measured only in grams.
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'''Tax Stamps'''
A US tax stamp or remnants of the same is indicative of a tin dating from the 1950's or earlier. Note that the printed year on the tax stamp, 1926, is the year the tax law was enacted and says nothing about the age of the tin. However, if the tax stamp is largely intact you will find printed a "Series number", e.g. "SERIES 124". Adding 29 to that number will give you the approximate year of the tin, e.g. a tin with a series 124 tax stamp dates to around 1953. On occasion a US customs date will also be found rubber stamped on the tax stamp, this date will also give you the approximate date of importation.
Tins will also be found with Canadian tax stamps. Unlike the US tax stamp however, these stamps are currently in use. I have not seen enough of Canadian stamps to determine whether over time there have been differences useable for dating purposes.
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'''Importer Address'''
Many tins found in the US will indicate the importer and its address. If the address contains a postal zone as opposed to a zip code, the 1950's or earlier is suggested. <span style="font-size:small">[While not English made tobacco it should be noted that Lane tinned tobacco labels apparently continued to have a postal zone address well into the '60s.] </span>
When found, the changing address of one important importer, James B. Russell, can be quite useful for dating purposes. A Russell address of:
*W. 56th Street dates the tin to the 1960's or earlier;
*W. 61st Street dates the tin from the 1960's to the early 1970's;
*Van Brunt Street dates the tin from the 1970's to mid 1980's; and
*Parkway dates the tin from the mid 1980's to present.
<span style="font-size:small"> [Please note that the dates given here are approximate and somewhat speculative. Hopefully response to this article will allow for some more definitive dating.] </span>
Lastly, it is not unusual to find tins which have handwritten dates. Such dates can be quite useful but take care for they can also be quite misleading. Usually these dates are of two sorts, either they represent when someone acquired the tin, first, second or third hand and often well after manufacture, or they can represent someone's guess as to the age of the tin, which guess can often be considerably off.


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[[Category:Dunhill]]
[[Category:Dunhill]]