100 Year Old Gold Block Tin - 4oz Seal Intact (Pic Heavy)
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If I smoke it...... I'll do a group tasting like I did with the FVF.
I'm not greedy and I think it would be fun.
I'm not greedy and I think it would be fun.
If I had a lot into it, and I bought it because it has the wrapper on it, I guess I would keep it sealed. But, if I didn't spend too much on it, and was curious as to how the tobacco is doing, I guess I would open it up. Plus, there seems to be some rust developing on the tin surface, which would cause me to open it if I thought it was still sealed, for fear of the rust making its way through. :
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It would be a let-down to open it and find it already dried out from a rusty pinhole. How can you tell if it is still sealed? Perhaps heating or cooling it slightly and observing? I'm guessing that a complete un-opened can with a pinhole and dried-out tobacco is worth more money than an opened can with dried-out tobacco. But, would an opened can with fresh tobacco be worth more to you than an un-opened can with dried-out tobacco? At that point I guess you would have to go back to why you bought it in the first place, and possibly be prepared for dismay if you crack it and it's dried-out already. :puffpipe:
Balkisobrains, I have had many tins from the 1920's to 60's in my hands. Three have been compromised by leaks....you can detect the contents "moving" when you shake it. The contents when dried out shrink and that shrinkage shows up as movement and "noise".
I hope this can is solid, it sounds solid, but can I guarantee it? Nope. Just like I couldn't guarantee the burned out building I was in today wouldn't collapse while I was in it.
So it's easy for me to roll the dice.
I hope this can is solid, it sounds solid, but can I guarantee it? Nope. Just like I couldn't guarantee the burned out building I was in today wouldn't collapse while I was in it.
So it's easy for me to roll the dice.
Too bad there's not an authoritative Tin Grading Service out there. I've seen price guides, but I've never seen a grading service for tins. Seems like the people collecting the sealed tins don't care about the condition of the tobacco inside. If that's not you, and you think it's good and will keep, you could open it now, or put it away for a while. There's got to be a point where it stops aging though, right?
Balkisobrains, my guess is that it stopped aging substantially a long, long time ago. BUT having said that, I didn't aquire it because I want to taste something that continued aging for nearly a century. I acquired it because I'm curious and am lucky enough to have a friend that feeds my curiosity stream. He only smokes one blend.
Very cool find Tim !
You are such a criminal. You could sell me *some* of that tobacco and go for the double felony :D
You are such a criminal. You could sell me *some* of that tobacco and go for the double felony :D
The trouble with all these old tins is that they smell wonderful when you first open them but the flavors dissipate very quickly and you wind up smoking something that tastes very flat thereafter. I have commented before that back in the early 1980s a store close to me where I used to live in the UK called Gidea Park Tobacco Stores closed down and they had several large boxes of sealed 'cutter top' tins that were sold off for a pound a tin. Most of it was Gold Flake and Capstan and several other well known 1930s UK OTC blends and it was OK to smoke but went down hill pretty quickly after opening. I still can never understand the crazy money that is paid on Ebay for these tins but then I suppose its the novelty value.
Gorgeous tin!
A thought occurred to me that perhaps you can—to some degree—have your cake and smoke it too.... What about cutting through the bottom of the tin, extracting all the baccy, (and probably re-hydrating) Done carefully, the cut out could be mended back in place. That way all the cool seals stay intact. The value to a collector would diminish, but not as much as seals, etc. broken.
A thought occurred to me that perhaps you can—to some degree—have your cake and smoke it too.... What about cutting through the bottom of the tin, extracting all the baccy, (and probably re-hydrating) Done carefully, the cut out could be mended back in place. That way all the cool seals stay intact. The value to a collector would diminish, but not as much as seals, etc. broken.
Hi Tim,
Very cool tin. Personally, I'd keep it as it is. Much rarer to find all the stamps intact, etc. The rust is a concern and you can use one of those magnifying glasses with the onboard hi intensity lights to check for holes.
Very cool tin. Personally, I'd keep it as it is. Much rarer to find all the stamps intact, etc. The rust is a concern and you can use one of those magnifying glasses with the onboard hi intensity lights to check for holes.
And that's the other issue. Tobaccos have a lifespan, even in the tin, and then they just go strange. Even if it smells reasonably good, exposure to fresh oxygen generally kills superannuated blends very quickly. If it isn't mummy dust, it's sludge. As for the super high prices that some shell out for 50 year and older tins, well, belief in fairies dies hard, and PT Barnum was right. That said, among the sludge, wraiths, mummies, and other night terrors of ancient tobacco, I have experienced a few really remarkable smokes, but the odds are pretty long and I'm not going to pay for the privilege of gambling.
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