Question about fake cubans

[kayaker]

I have the empty box of Montecristo No. 4's that an uncle brought back really cheap from Cuba last year.

I also have the box for the Monte No. 4's that I bought from a govt controlled store in Cuba a few weeks ago.

It's quite interesting to compare the two side by side. I was thinking about taking some pics for the fakes album. Is there protocol for this?

Ian

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by kayaker

I have the empty box of Montecristo No. 4's that an uncle brought back really cheap from Cuba last year.

I also have the box for the Monte No. 4's that I bought from a govt controlled store in Cuba a few weeks ago.

It's quite interesting to compare the two side by side. I was thinking about taking some pics for the fakes album. Is there protocol for this?

Ian

Nope. Have at.

[Footbag]

I'm very interested in seeing how good the fakes (boxes) look.

[kayaker]

OK. Here goes.

1st Pic:
The one I bought at a Govt store in Varadero is on top. It has warranty seal in place on lower left, a warning sticker upper left, a clear hologram sticker on lower right and Habanos sticker upper right.

The other box had no stickers on it originally. Two Habanos stickers and a fake warranty seal were inside the box. Dad stuck on the Habanos sticker that you see there. It seems to be identical to the one on my box.

2nd Pic:

The one I bought, on the left, has part of the warranty sticker visible and a price tag. It also has the Habanos Brand with a date stamp below it.

The other box has a Habanos stamp and no other markings.

3rd Pic:
Here you can see the photocopied warranty seal that was included in the suspect box above the warranty seal on my box.


The other box is also a little larger than my box. The wooden walls use a little thicker making all the outside dimensions a bit bigger.

[kayaker]

Let me know what you think about what you see.

It looks like a very good attempt at a fake box, maybe even using real stickers and the box print materials.

None of the cigars are left to compare with what I have now, but dad seemed happy with them in any case. I don't think I had any and I don't know if we would be able to easily tell them apart.

Any thoughts or observations would be appreciated.

Ian

[Ozz1113]

Were the cigars good?

The box certainly looks fake. The logo isn't even centered...

[poker]

Although many times making a judgement on pics alone is hard, this time it looks to be quite easy. I agree with your assumption that your dads box was not the real deal.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by kayaker

It looks like a very good attempt at a fake box,

Not really. Anyone with a basic knowledge of Cuban cigars can see the box is fake.

[poker]

Originally Posted by pnoon

Not really. Anyone with a basic knowledge of Cuban cigars can see the box is fake.

I assume this excludes rob?

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by poker

I assume this excludes rob?

I said "basic" didn't I?

[poker]

but you also said "knowledge".

[n2advnture]

The bottom box is very suspect IMHO (haven't had the opportunity to try them though, so can't say for sure)

~M

[LkyLindy]

Not even close-

too obvious

[Footbag]

Not good enough! Even a novice smoker would be able to pick that out as a bad box. Was that where the Habanos label was originally?

[mikeyj23]

Originally Posted by Footbag

Not good enough! Even a novice smoker would be able to pick that out as a bad box. Was that where the Habanos label was originally?

He said the labels weren't even on the box, they were inside the box - I think it was just taken out for the pic.