Help me identify an old box.

[sathington73]

My grandfather passed away 16 years ago, so my grandmother comes up from Georgia every year to celebrate the holidays with us. Apparently some time during the past year she found out about my cigar collecting hobby. She brought me a couple of old cigar boxes that my grandfather used to keep his military decorations in. He smoked cigars before I was born but had to quit back in the 70s because of lung problems.

Anyway, I know these are nothing fancy or valuable to anyone else, but I was hoping that you guys might help me figure out how old these are or where they came from.

 

[twenty5]

Holy long pic!

Those boxes are pretty cool, I really like that old 7-20-4 box.
Good luck finding the info!

 

[kockroach]

7-20-4 is an old brand that Kurt Kendall bought the naming rights. He might have more info for you.

 

[dpricenator]

Ask Nick at the gotham cigar museum.

http://gotham-cigar-museum.com/default.aspx

 

[twenty5]

What was R.G. Sullivan? It was reputed to be the largest maker of 10-cent cigars in America, reportedly producing more than 54 million cigars a year in the early years of the 20th Century from its seven-story factory and warehouse at 175 Canal Street in Manchester. According to Tony Hyman’s National Cigar Museum timeline, some 350 rollers were making the famed 7-20-4 in 1910 and the brand prospered from its introduction in 1875 until finally closing up shop in 1963.
The 7-20-4 cigar was named for the address of R.G. Sullivan’s original factory at 724 Elm Street and the brand’s boxes pictured the factory and had an exterior seal that read “Every cigar contained herein warranted imported filler and wrapper and strictly hand made.” Usually sold in boxes of 50, the 7-20-4 was extensively promoted through now-collectible ashtrays, signs and tip trays that were distributed throughout New England and can occasionally be found on eBay.

 

[Thunder.Gerbil]

A guide to dating cigars can be found at The National Cigar Museum HERE

If you are stumped, I think there used to be a contact form on the site - it might still be there. You'll have to poke around the site. Anyway, if you do, Dr. Hyman, the curator, is an unrivaled wealth of information.