Back in the Day

[dragonslayer]

Saw this on the Scandinavian Tobacco Group site:

A 1946 catalogue features 40 pipe tobacco blends, starting at 14 cents per ounce.
Captain Black made its first appearance in a 1956 catalogue, where it was touted as ‘slightly aromatic, slow burning & pleasant,’ and sold for 25 cents per ounce.
Should have been cellaring then lols.

 

[wildcat]

rothnh, you gotta find that can and load a bowl, fella! We hear so much about how aros don't cellar well... you could prove/disprove that theory! Dig man, dig!!!

 

[dragonslayer]

I believe the contention of storing versus ageing in aromatics has more to do with longevity then true ageing. Storing is just that, keeping an aromatic for years, with little or no blending, and the mellowness is due to the loss of flavor. Now that’s thrown out the door if there’s a decent amount of VA leaf in the mix, which will age and blend. From all the information I’ve gleaned, the only true thing that ages is the VA leaf, and the blends effects on it. This of course is only my opinion, and could be wrong.
Craig

 

[rmbittner]

I'm just now re-reading Compton Mackenzie's Sublime Tobacco, and he mentions smoking a blend at the turn of the 20th century (no longer available) that cost four pence an ounce. Even if you grant a terrible exchange rate, that still seems like it would be less than a U.S. dime per ounce.

 

[misterlowercase]

it's interesting as hell to go back thru the prism of time. i like looking thru the tobydocs site even tho their search interface is a bugbear, some cool stuff buried in all those pages...
...like this price list circa 1960 where we see what many brands of pipe tobak sold for, as well as pipes, with Charatan topping in at $100 and the oft discussed pricepoint parallel between Dunhill & Kaywoodie, it's fun to look:

http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/88131099-1139.html?start_page=1&end_page=41
...and here's some vital stats to get a sense about '60 cost-of-living

http://www.clearpictureonline.com/1960-Food-College-Income.html