Sweet Cuba Fine Cut advertising tobacco tin
Record status
Individual type · partial
This yellow lithographed tin tobacco box is a classic piece of early 20th-century advertising ephemera designed for point-of-sale display. Measuring 8 inches in width, 9.5 inches in depth, and 8 inches in height, the container features a distinctive hinged lid and a curved front profile.
The box is prominently decorated with bold, multi-colored lithographic graphics advertising 'Sweet Cuba Fine Cut' tobacco, including depictions of the product packaging and the price point of 5 cents. Further inscriptions on the exterior highlight the slogan 'The Kind That Suits' and identify the manufacturer as Spaulding & Merrick of Chicago, Illinois. Designed to hold 48 individual 5-cent packages of tobacco, the tin serves as both a functional storage container and a promotional tool.
The vibrant yellow base color and detailed typography are characteristic of the commercial advertising styles used by tobacco manufacturers during the period to attract consumer attention in general stores and tobacco shops.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- lithographed tin
- Dimensions
- 8 in. wide, 9.5 in. deep, 8 in. high
Technical characteristics
- Capacity
- 48 packages
Design
- Color
- yellow
- Markings
- Sweet Cuba Fine Cut, 5 cents, The Kind That Suits, Spaulding & Merrick, Chicago, Ill.
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Spaulding & Merrick
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.