Bidspirit auction | Antique Sir Walter Raleigh Cigar

Antique Sir Walter Raleigh Cigar Label Proof by F. M. Howell & Co., Elmira, NY - A single antique lithographed cigar label proof for ”Sir Walter Raleigh,” produced by F. M. Howell & Co., Label Printers, Elmira, N. Y. The proof is mounted on heavy, cream-colored card stock. The central design is rendered primarily in green and gold, featuring a portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh in Elizabethan dress within an oval cartouche. Ornate text reads ”SIR WALTER RALEIGH” and includes the phrase ”THE FIRST INTRODUCER OF TOBACCO TO THE CIVILIZED WORLD.” The background illustration depicts a seascape with a sailing ship and tobacco plants. The reverse of the mount features a pasted label from the printer, F. M. Howell & Co., detailing a copyright notice and marked with the number ”No. 573.” This piece is characteristic of the detailed cigar label proofs originating from F.M. Howell Elmira NY Antique printing houses.