Vintage DUREX 50051 Wood CIGAR TOBACCO MOLD - Ten 5" Cigars.
$19.95
Out of stock
SKU
1500056
Vintage DUREX 50051 Wood CIGAR TOBACCO MOLD - Ten 5" Cigars. Wood cigar mold for 10 cigars. Impressed "DUREX 50051" holds 10 cigars each measuring 5" long. Holder itself is 13" with 2 dowels to keep it sealed. one cigar remains in the mold. There is a repaired chip in one of the compartments. See pictures for Condition. Great Patina, Vintage. Sold As Is.
From National Cigar Museum:
Cigar Moulds (also spelled Molds)
Manufacturing cigars by hand isn’t easy. Although the steps seem simple, making a perfect cigar, one that looks good and draws easily, requires experience and skill. As sizes and shapes proliferated in the 1830’s, it became even more difficult. Most cigar rollers came to grips with that dilemma by specializing in only a few of those sizes and shapes.
The Cigar Makers International Union recognized the difficulty of crafting high grade cigars by requiring a three year apprenticeship before granting full membership, attainment of which was certification of skill to a potential employer.
Mechanical production of cigars that were properly shaped and puffed well became a goal, and back-yard tinkerers began a chase for the fortune that would flow to the man who solved the problem. Though a few inventors tried early-on to develop a fully automated machine, history shows that automation happened in a series of steps, some more important than others. The development of machinery is the topic of another National Cigar Museum exhibit.
The first step to be solved centered on creating a device that would help less skilled, less experienced, less costly workers create cigars in the huge range of sizes and shapes the public demanded. As with most beginning industries, hundreds of experiments were tried before one method prevailed. Between 1850 and 1890 a flood of devices were offered.
One ultimately prevailed ... the wooden cigar mould. This useful device permitted a semi-skilled roller to make passably good cigars with less than a years’ practice. It had its roots in Europe some time in the mid 1800’s, though exactly when, where and by whom it was created is not recorded. They are often referred to as “German cigar moulds” because so many were made in Germanic countries, but some contemporary literature describes the origin as British. Wherever it came from, the wooden mould reached its glory in America where it quickly became accepted.
Adoption wasn’t painless. In fact, at times, it was downright bloody, especially in New York City. The Union declared moulds were machines, forbad members from working in shops where they were employed, and went out on strike whenever moulds were introduced. Whatever the resistance, the mould was as inevitable as sunrise. Factory owners loved the ability to hire unskilled (less costly) labor, the shorter training period (as low as a month), and cheaper manufacturing costs which moulds permitted. A highly skilled and well-paid hand roller working quickly by himself could make from 250 to 350 cigars a day. However, if he did nothing but apply the outside wrapper to bunches created by a team of two semi-skilled mould workers, he could turn out 750-1000 a day. Three people still made the same number of cigars, but mould workers got paid less, often one-fifth as much, so a cigar company could cut its labor cost substantially without cutting production. Moulds also widened the base of available workers by bringing women into the workforce in great numbers.
Giant mould manufacturers like Miller, DuBrul and Peters offered more than 2,500 sizes and shapes of cigar moulds in their catalogs. Moulds were not kept in stock but custom routered and assembled upon receipt of an order. In 1900, moulds for 10 or 20 cigars were priced from 60¢ to $2, depending on how many of each size were ordered. Because moulds were wooden, and were opened and closed many times a day, the edges of each cigar form became rounded, which caused a seam down a cigar. The mould was then discarded.
Vintage DUREX 50051 Wood CIGAR TOBACCO MOLD - Ten 5" Cigars. Wood cigar mold for 10 cigars. Impressed "DUREX 50051" holds 10 cigars each measuring 5" long. Holder itself is 13" with 2 dowels to keep it sealed. one cigar remains in the mold. There is a repaired chip in one of the compartments. See pictures for Condition. Great Patina, Vintage. Sold As Is.
From National Cigar Museum:
Cigar Moulds (also spelled Molds)
Manufacturing cigars by hand isn’t easy. Although the steps seem simple, making a perfect cigar, one that looks good and draws easily, requires experience and skill. As sizes and shapes proliferated in the 1830’s, it became even more difficult. Most cigar rollers came to grips with that dilemma by specializing in only a few of those sizes and shapes.
The Cigar Makers International Union recognized the difficulty of crafting high grade cigars by requiring a three year apprenticeship before granting full membership, attainment of which was certification of skill to a potential employer.
Mechanical production of cigars that were properly shaped and puffed well became a goal, and back-yard tinkerers began a chase for the fortune that would flow to the man who solved the problem. Though a few inventors tried early-on to develop a fully automated machine, history shows that automation happened in a series of steps, some more important than others. The development of machinery is the topic of another National Cigar Museum exhibit.
The first step to be solved centered on creating a device that would help less skilled, less experienced, less costly workers create cigars in the huge range of sizes and shapes the public demanded. As with most beginning industries, hundreds of experiments were tried before one method prevailed. Between 1850 and 1890 a flood of devices were offered.
One ultimately prevailed ... the wooden cigar mould. This useful device permitted a semi-skilled roller to make passably good cigars with less than a years’ practice. It had its roots in Europe some time in the mid 1800’s, though exactly when, where and by whom it was created is not recorded. They are often referred to as “German cigar moulds” because so many were made in Germanic countries, but some contemporary literature describes the origin as British. Wherever it came from, the wooden mould reached its glory in America where it quickly became accepted.
Adoption wasn’t painless. In fact, at times, it was downright bloody, especially in New York City. The Union declared moulds were machines, forbad members from working in shops where they were employed, and went out on strike whenever moulds were introduced. Whatever the resistance, the mould was as inevitable as sunrise. Factory owners loved the ability to hire unskilled (less costly) labor, the shorter training period (as low as a month), and cheaper manufacturing costs which moulds permitted. A highly skilled and well-paid hand roller working quickly by himself could make from 250 to 350 cigars a day. However, if he did nothing but apply the outside wrapper to bunches created by a team of two semi-skilled mould workers, he could turn out 750-1000 a day. Three people still made the same number of cigars, but mould workers got paid less, often one-fifth as much, so a cigar company could cut its labor cost substantially without cutting production. Moulds also widened the base of available workers by bringing women into the workforce in great numbers.
Giant mould manufacturers like Miller, DuBrul and Peters offered more than 2,500 sizes and shapes of cigar moulds in their catalogs. Moulds were not kept in stock but custom routered and assembled upon receipt of an order. In 1900, moulds for 10 or 20 cigars were priced from 60¢ to $2, depending on how many of each size were ordered. Because moulds were wooden, and were opened and closed many times a day, the edges of each cigar form became rounded, which caused a seam down a cigar. The mould was then discarded.
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