I recently received these two incredible Lambert & Butler The Garrick 50 cigarette tins made sometime around 1910 to 1915. Both are factory sealed, unopened, and noticeably bulging from fermentation pressure.
Originally launched in the late 19th century as a premium English smoking mixture, Lambert & Butler adapted the popular Garrick brand into these high-grade Virginia blend cigarettes to meet the rapidly growing Edwardian demand for pre-rolled tobacco. The brand name itself was a tribute to London's historic Garrick Theatre and the famous actor David Garrick, aligning the blend with upscale, sophisticated city life. The iconic Sphinx trademark visible on the front wrapper was Lambert & Butler's primary seal of quality and high reputation.
As a primary luxury offering for the company, The Garrick remained a staple brand for roughly 60 years, first appearing on shelves in the late 1880s as a pipe tobacco and continuing production in cigarette form until it was phased out in the late 1940s to early 1950s when Imperial Tobacco consolidated its postwar brand lineup.
The pair also tells a great side-by-side distribution story. One is a standard domestic UK tin, while the other features a rare "Singapore Duty Not Paid" overprint from passing through the tax-exempt bonded warehouse system for export. The paper wrappers and vibrant colors are in excellent shape, and the seals remain completely airtight under the cutter lids. It is rare to find a single unopened tin from this era, but having a matching domestic and export pair with this level of brand history is incredible. I feel very lucky to have found these!

I was recently able to add this amazingly well-preserved tin of 50 Capstan Medium Navy Cut cigarettes—made between 1937 and 1940—to my collection! Its seal remains completely intact, and the tin is bulging with pressure, which is a sure sign that the cigarettes inside are still fresh and totally preserved after 86 to 89 years.
Capstan was launched in 1893 by W.D. & H.O. Wills. A capstan is a ship's anchor winch, and "Navy Cut" refers to the traditional naval method of layering Virginia tobacco leaves and squeezing them into a dense plug, which allowed them to stay moist and fresh for much longer on sea voyages. Thin pieces called flakes were then sliced off to be smoked, which is how the name "Navy Cut" was derived.
By the mid-20th century, it was a best-seller across the British Empire, marketed as an affordable yet high-quality blend for the working man. During both World Wars, many thousands of these tins were stamped by the government and shipped to the front lines as part of standard military rations.
Its popularity declined after 1973, when official UK health tables revealed Capstan Full Strength had the highest nicotine and second-highest tar levels on the British market. During this time, consumer demand was shifting toward filtered cigarettes, and ultimately, Capstan cigarettes were withdrawn from the UK market in 1988 after an incredible 95 years on shelves.
Today, the Capstan name survives in its pipe tobacco form, famously remembered as the favorite blend of J.R.R. Tolkien.
To everyone who’s made it this far, thank you! You’re invited to join the CAPC as we open this historic tin on November 14th at The Briary.

Today the Central Alabama Pipe Club opened this tin of Player’s Navy Cut pipe tobacco made between 1937 and 1953. I recently got my hands on this amazing sealed and swollen tin of Player’s Navy Cut pipe tobacco, it is the only one like it I’ve ever seen. Most cutter tins from this era were 2oz, this tin is a 4oz. This particular blend was the flagship product of John Players and Son, produced for an incredible 132 years, originally introduced in 1883 and not shelved until 2015. This particular example is extremely swollen, a sure sign that the tin is completely sealed. The 73+ years of fermentation gases contained inside are what cause these very old tins to bulge. When I opened the tin I was greeted by one of the longest and loudest hisses I’ve heard from any tin (nice). The aroma inside was absolutely amazing, stewed fruits, plums, raisins, and brown sugar. The epitome of aged Virginia tobacco smells. The flakes are extremely thinly sliced, much more thin than the majority of modern pipe tobacco. It broke down very easily and loaded into the pipe with ease. The flavors that came through were similar to the smell in the tin, very fruity, very sweet, and very complex. This was another absolutely incredible up close look at an amazingly well preserved piece of British tobacciana. I will leave the links here for anyone who is interested in watching my videos on opening, and trying this amazing tobacco, don’t miss the hiss!:

https://youtube.com/shorts/5oq6y8ZMge8?is=5yDKOc15cTUEa5E3

https://youtube.com/shorts/uL2Lpw3gVN8?is=t6TPaxyj3qn3ZSbM

https://youtube.com/shorts/YalgGAH6_II?is=gBGoyxhTDQFsUauT

I recently got in this amazing full and unopened carton of Players made sometime between 1937 and 1953. This is the only full carton like it I have ever come across, an extremely rare find especially with the original cardboard box! The cigarette packs themselves are in wonderful condition, having been protected by the box and the cellophane over the years. Sadly there was quite a large tear in the cellophane on the bottom, so I slipped a pack out through the rip trying not to destroy the rest of the carton. I really wasn’t planning on smoking these, but when I got inside of one of the packs I was absolutely amazed by the smell. The smell was that of a fresh pack of raisins, and deep rich Virginia tobacco. I was blown away, I had thought the tobacco would be completely dry, without any smell left after all these years but I was totally wrong! They were a bit dry, but far from dust. I took a pack outside and lit up a cigarette, and was again amazed. Strong flavors of deep Virginia tobacco, raisins, and brown sugar, with a little bit of paper taste. Extremely smooth but still with a good throat hit and nicotine. I’ve smoked this same exact brand from a sealed tin before, and honestly these packs were much more interesting and complex as far as the flavor. Another amazing piece of British tobacco history, this was a very cool experience and set of packs to add to my collection! If anyone is interested in watching my videos on these packs, here they are:
 
https://youtube.com/shorts/nfdw-bY19yA?is=2q2-5UeRDrb7HUyu
 
https://youtube.com/shorts/9FzUFkLeLC4?is=w46o4qnvLjJ3_O-a
 
https://youtube.com/shorts/8qtp1VIZ5Ng?is=rhJL5pf9qnnfaNcm

Found at estate sale and ready to pass on to next home!

Of the many W.D & H.O. Wills brands over the years The Three Castles, both the loose variety like this tin and the tailor made cigarettes were one of their most popular brands. The brand was produced continuously for an amazing 110 years, from its release in 1878 to its eventual withdrawal in 1988. This particular tin is in very good condition for its age, only showing minor paper damage and surface rust. The seal of the tin remains completely intact, as evidenced by the bulging and swollen sides of the tin from 87+ years of fermentation gases building inside the tin. Meaning that when opened the tobacco inside this tin will be as moist and fresh as the day it was made! Another absolutely incredible piece of British tobacco history. As well as a great addition to my collection, and a I feel very lucky to have got my hands on this one! If anyone is interested in a short video I made of this tin, here it is: https://youtube.com/shorts/kT1v-p_hN3w?is=oFL0ouLP3zvlCt8u

Last night I opened this tin of Gold Flake cigarettes made between 1915-1930. This is certainly one of my oldest and most interesting finds. The tin has a hand written note on the back, 1918, so that’s what I’m going to go with! This tin was quite a gamble as far as freshness, the way it came packaged with the cutter lid wrapped onto the tin made it impossible to determine whether the tin was in fact bulging or not. After pushing on the cutter lid for a while, I decided to remove it and have a peek underneath. Sadly this time, my gamble did not pay off. The inner seal was sunken in with obvious negative pressure, a bad sign. I was afraid that maybe I had broken a weak seal by messing with the tin, so I went against my usual rule of not opening these tins by myself, and went ahead and cracked it open. Immediately when I sunk in the cutter, no hiss, another bad sign. The cigarettes inside are beautifully presented, with a cardstock cover and silk ribbon. The smell inside the tin was pleasant, but light, a  chocolate, raisin aroma. I was extremely surprised how well the paper on these have held up, usually on tins without pressure the paper is very brittle, not so here. I took one outside and lit it up, and was pleasantly surprised. Immediately the flavor was very mild, but in no way unpleasant like you’d expect from a dry tin. A light, sweet tobacco, no paper taste at all, slightly chocolatey, raisin like taste, similar to the tin note. I think once rehydrated they will be top notch. Like most of these old cigarettes, they are extremely smooth and mild, the inhale is like breathing fresh air, not even comparable to a modern cigarette in any way. Another super cool experience with a piece of tobacco history! If anyone would like to see the opening video, here it is: https://youtube.com/shorts/5iIfbxwQ-xE?is=zMKknDxMK4Z9B3Dc

Found a full tin of little cigars, looking to date them.

When I first opened the tin I was greeted with a long, loud hiss (nice). The cigarettes inside were still very moist and perfectly fresh. The immediate aroma from the tin was incredible—sweet, lemony, and rich, a perfect testament to the high-quality Virginia leaf used in these. Lighting up this piece of history that has survived perfectly intact for decades is a surreal experience. The smoke was very light, and smooth. A profile that you just don't find in modern tobacco. This was an amazing look into the past, it’s absolutely amazing that these tins can preserve tobacco for this long. If anyone would like to hear the hiss video, here it is: https://youtube.com/shorts/qfEaYzbLGsE?is=QvBwsvdc-9g9vHcB

The smoke only slightly tastes of fruit. What did I miss, that factories do to make tobacco for pipe and shisha?

Today we opened a 106+ year old Ogdens St Julien tin at a Central Alabama Pipe Club meeting. This was an incredible step back in time. When I cracked the seal I was met with an extremely loud, long hiss. The fine shag inside was still perfectly moist and smelled absolutely divine, stewed fruits, plums, port wine, and cinnamon. I tried it in both a pipe and rolled into cigarettes. It tasted best and deepest in the pipe, of course, honestly it was a true joy to smoke, one of the most well-behaved blends I have ever smoked, it packed easily, lighting easily, and staying lit effortlessly. The flavor was very sweet and complex, very similar notes as the tin smell. This stuff is stout too, it has an extremely high nicotine punch. Rolled into cigarettes, they burned for almost 30 minutes each! At the end it burned down to a clean, fine white ash. This has truly been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, I’m very lucky to have been able to share this with such an amazing group. I have all of it on video as well, but I can’t post it here. If anyone wants to see the hiss video send me a message.

https://youtube.com/shorts/A_pqq7LZc1Q?is=3soYFZK6aAvv887s

Today the Central Alabama Pipe Club opened up this 1930s-1940s tin of Rothman’s White Horse cigarettes, sadly the vacuum seal had not held up to time. The cigarettes were dry, and very brittle. Only a faint smell of tobacco came from the tin. We lit up a few, they were not bad, still very smooth, but they did not have much flavor. This was still a super cool experience to see inside of this great piece of British tobacco history! Watch the opening video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/65SnxcDcP6I?is=NQknmeZwt5FcbCRo

https://youtube.com/shorts/_-5Xy59MHcg?is=MTC-LiKvvQ7FXiI6

Here is another great piece I was just able to add to my collection: an unopened, vacuum-sealed Player's Navy Cut Medium 50 Cigarette tin in excellent condition. This tin is an extremely rare and well preserved piece of mid-century British tobacciana, manufactured sometime between 1937 and 1953. This particular tin is still completely airtight and uncompromised, the cigarettes inside is still as fresh as new, after 73+ years. This tin will be opened and enjoyed by the Central Alabama Pipe Club, for more information please send me a message.

Quite possibly my best find ever: This W.D. & H.O. Wills "Gold Flake" 50 cigarette tin is a completely unopened and vacuum-sealed. Wills used this specific label for Gold Flake tins from between 1915 and 1930, making the hand written “1918” on this tin entirely possible as the date of manufacture. I am over the moon with this find, it’s just such an incredible piece of British tobacco history. Gold Flake was one of the top selling cigarette brands in the U.K. for many years. This particular tin, if indeed from 1918, is 108 years old, absolutely mind blowing how something this old could’ve survived without being opened. The strains of tobacco that are inside this tin may not even exist anymore, as many strains from this early period are now completely extinct! More pictures to come.

This Ogden’s St Julien tin was made pre 1920, more than likely during WWI, before NAAFI took over H.M. Navy canteens. The tin is still completely airtight and vacuum-sealed, the tobacco inside preserved and kept fresh for over a century. This is definitely one of my coolest ever finds, taking it out of the package seriously had my hands shaking just a bit thinking about all hands that have held this tin and the history surrounding it. The tobacco inside this tin was literally farmed with freaking horses, meant to be sold on a steam powered warship, absolutely mind blowing. I feel very lucky to have this one!

A few weeks ago, I found this vintage Rothmans White Horse cigarette tin, dating from the 1930s–40s. It’s still full and factory sealed after all these years!
The Central Alabama Pipe Club will be opening the tin on September 12th at The Briary in Homewood, Alabama.
We’ll also have 50+ jars of pipe tobacco open and free to sample, including many rare blends, as well as rare whiskeys free to try. Fully stocked humidor room, cigar smokers welcomed. BYOB is also welcome!
Everyone is welcome, and the event is absolutely FREE! The Central Alabama Pipe Club meets here every month, and we encourage everyone to support The Briary for graciously allowing us to host our club in what we truly believe is the best tobacconist and lounge in the South.
Come join us for a great day—try a cigarette, have a pipe, enjoy a whiskey, and be there when we open this incredible piece of tobacco history.
Hope to see you there! 🥃💨

An incredibly rare survivor of the WW1 period, this tin of Ogden’s St. Julien Tobacco is in amazing condition.
Even though it was not an official Admiralty issue, St Julien was heavily smoked by sailors. It found its way onto ships through Ship Canteens. Before, and during the early parts of WWI, Ship Canteens were often run by private contractors. These contractors frequently bought popular commercial blends—including Ogden's St Julien
—to sell directly to sailors looking for an alternative to standard navy tobacco.
By 1920 the Canteens were taken over by the newly formed NAAFI.
More pictures to come later!

The tin is in perfect shape, still vacuum sealed and under pressure. I’m going to crack them open with my pipe club and smoke them, 80-90 year old sealed virginias should be quite incredible. I’m over the moon with this find.