Dunhill Humidor
- Thread starter donoj
- Start date
I think it may retain more value if you leave the original finish. It looks great. Sometimes the impulse to make things look new is not a good instinct. With antiques, the original finish usually counts as a plus, big time.
Yup, leave the patina untouched if you want the furniture to retain value. I'm guessingit's pre-war from the fit and finish. Nothing definite, just a suspicion. Back in the day when gentlemen were serious about their tobacco and related "stuff."
Sorry for the late response. It does have the felt on the lid.
Attachments
They did used to produce cigars and pipe tobacco so I'm not surprised they made two in ones like this. Really cool find
The American rep for "The White Spot" pipes can be reached through your local B&M. He has access to the archives and stands the best chance of getting you a date or catalog image. I forget his name, but he's a really nice guy and well aware of the history of the company.
He and I had a long talk about travel cases at a White Spot trunk show in Chicago a few years back.
He and I had a long talk about travel cases at a White Spot trunk show in Chicago a few years back.
Donoj, Thanks so much for the response! I have a similar humidor only it is just for on top of a desk. Just a rectangular box. I have been able to find out more about the seal. It was patented in 1936, I believe. Mine is the same maroon color seal. I am pretty sure your seal is a kind of suede pigskin, as is mine. Behind the seal mechanism there are stainless springs to push the seal to the top edge of the copper. Pretty sure the copper is solid copper. Lot 'o' pennies! Don't use tung oil on the pigskin. My humidor was made Feb 22, 1938. Later seals used felt instead of pigskin but sometimes the pigskin was a bright color that looks like felt. There might be an indentation with the patent number in the copper somewhere but on my humidor there is not; it just has the indentation. If you enter the patent number into Google you can see the date of it. These seals work amazingly well! It takes awhile to get the compartments humidified, but once they are, they stay humidified a LONG time! I have a newer Dunhill humidor that I just purchased, too. It is the same mechanism, patent date, copper pieces, etc. , but it is definitely with felt. I am guessing that humidors made with this mechanism were made for 20 to 30 years, based on later Dunhill humidors that used seals with very thin rubber (looks like rubber in photos, anyway, maybe felt or leather...but anyway, not the same system) strips or very well-fitting wood on wood seals. I am guessing that your humidor is mahogany and made in late 30's. I found what I assume is the date of manufacture underneath the bottom copper tray. There were two very small nail holes without nails, so I was able to lift the tray out. The tray was made of tin and copper. Underneath on the wood was written the date; I assume the date of manufacture. The humidor I am mainly talking about, not the newer one I just bought, was missing all nails inside and so when I cleaned it up, I was able to disassemble it to check it all out. Why in the past it was disassembled I do not know. The copper in the lid had been taped on with duct tape and sealed with silicone caulking! I was able to clean and assemble it properly; it is all original and works better than my modern humidor. I would not mess with your finish. I used lemon oil on mine.
When reassembling the copper I left the nail heads protruding just a bit in case I want to get back in there. I glued coated neodymium magnets behind the copper top sheet to hold humidifier and hygrometer. I did this as well on the newer, bigger one. I will try to post pics. You gotta great humidor there! Rob
Attachments
robert_leth is spot on. The patent (see pdf attached below) was applied for by Henry Handschur on November 27, 1935. At that time patents were good for 17 years (this was subsequently changed to 20 years in 1995), so the OP's humidor would have been made between the very end of 1935 and late 1952, assuming that the patent number would have been removed from humidors manufactured after that date (this is a reasonable assumption, but entails another conversation). There is a requirement that the clock starts running earlier if prior patent applications are referenced, which is the case in the Handschur patent, but given that these earlier attempts were abandoned I don't think this would apply; an attorney versed in IP would have to opine.
As a matter of minor curiosity there were two Henry Handschurs, father and son. Both were listed in various censuses as carpenters but by 1940 were identified as cabinet makers who worked together in the eponymous firm Handschur & Son. I should say that the father who immigrated with his family, Frank Handschur, is listed quite early as a cabinet maker so while they no doubt practiced general carpentry cabinet making was the family trade for at least three generations.
Henry the older (1877-1959) emigrated with his father Frank (1840-1926), mother, and siblings from what was then the Bohemia (i.e. Czech-Slovak) part of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1888. In the New World he eventually married Annie Faltyn in 1900 and together they had four daughters and a son. The son, Henry William Handschur (1903-1989), married Sophie Urban in 1927 and together they had two sons.
Whether the patent was filed by the older Henry or the younger one is unclear to me; I could make a decent argument for either but honestly can't imagine the answer, if knowable, matters very much.
As a matter of minor curiosity there were two Henry Handschurs, father and son. Both were listed in various censuses as carpenters but by 1940 were identified as cabinet makers who worked together in the eponymous firm Handschur & Son. I should say that the father who immigrated with his family, Frank Handschur, is listed quite early as a cabinet maker so while they no doubt practiced general carpentry cabinet making was the family trade for at least three generations.
Henry the older (1877-1959) emigrated with his father Frank (1840-1926), mother, and siblings from what was then the Bohemia (i.e. Czech-Slovak) part of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1888. In the New World he eventually married Annie Faltyn in 1900 and together they had four daughters and a son. The son, Henry William Handschur (1903-1989), married Sophie Urban in 1927 and together they had two sons.
Whether the patent was filed by the older Henry or the younger one is unclear to me; I could make a decent argument for either but honestly can't imagine the answer, if knowable, matters very much.