Zaphirio Antique Flat 50s Cigarette Tin Turkish Egyptian Beauty Sphinx Pyramids

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Zaphirio Antique Flat 50s Cigarette Tin Turkish Egyptian Beauty Sphinx Pyramids:
$99.99

Up for sale is arather scarce, antique ‘flat 50s’ cigarette tin from the early 1900s.

It is yellow, withvarious shades of brown, as in sepia-toned illustrations or photographs of theperiod, 100 years ago.

Size is about 5½ x 4¼x ¾.

The top of the tinreads “A. Zaphirio & Co./Cigarettes Egyptiennes.”

The bottom of the tinreads “A. Zaphirio & Co./Manufacturers of High Class Cigarettes.”

There is a wonderfulInternal Revenue 50 cent tax stamp with the Dewitt Clinton image.

The front side bearsa wonderful, stylized signature: “A.Zaphirio & Co.”

The back side bearsthe name of the company, along with its three branches: “Chicago – Cavalla(Macedonia) – New York”. Later advertisements would add Cairo as an additionaloffice.

The lithographed imageon the top is of an Egyptian woman leaning on a stone lion-topped pedestal, asshe gazes out over the water of the Nile. The Sphinx and Pyramids are in thebackground. Engraved on the stone pedestal are the words “Destinées aux Personnesde Goût,” which translates from the French as “Destinations of Sophisticated(Tasteful) People.”

A 1912 listingdescribed A. Zaphirio & Co. as “Manufacturersof high grade Egyptian cigarettes and importers of Turkish leaf Tobacco.”

At the turn of the century, in the early 1900s, a newkind of Tobacco leaf was introduced into the industry. Whereas prominentTobacco companies (like American Tobacco Co. and R.J. Reynolds) had previouslyused a blend of domestic Tobacco leaves—called Bright and Barley—the early1900s saw the introduction of a Turkish Tobacco leaf into the industry.

As a luxury product, Turkish blend cigarettes wereassociated with sophistication and civilization, and advertisers thereforesought ways to distinguish and highlight Turkish blend from the domestic blendcompetitors.

As a result, orientalist imagery in both Tobaccobrands and advertisements exploded. In these early days, one major companymight diversify their offerings of cigarettes into many different brands, whichis one reason why the amount of Middle East-related brands featuringorientalist imagery could also grow so quickly.

In a matter of a decade, consumers saw the followingbrands added to their selection: Omar, Fatima, Hassan, Mogul, Mecca, EgyptianDeities, Murad, Harem Blends, Egyptian Beauties, and many more.

Reclaiming Identity: Dismantling Arab Stereotypes | Homepage

·In the late 19th century,Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire.

·Greek Tobacco was lousy.

·The Ottomans banned Tobaccocultivation in Greece.

·Some Greek Tobacco merchantsmoved to Egypt.

·Egypt was also part of theOttoman Empire.

·The British ruled Egypt.

·The British allowed Tobaccocultivation.

·The Greeks brought Tobacco fromTurkey to Egypt.

·The British soldiers loved thecigarettes made from the Turkish Tobacco.

·Some Greek Tobacco merchantsopened branches in the United States, in order to sell their Turkish Tobacco,Egyptian-made cigarettes.

·These cigarettes were wildlysuccessful.

·American Tobacco companies copiedthe idea of Egypt-made cigarettes. You might say that they COUNTERFEITED theidea, used Egyptian motifs, and pretended that the Virginia Tobacco that theyused came from Egypt.

·The Greek Tobacco merchants couldnot compete, and they went out of business.

·Eventually, only oneAmerican-made, ‘Egyptian’ cigarette survived: the one with the palm tree, the pyramids, and theCAMEL. Joe is still with us today.

And Zaphirio? The Great War came andwent, and with it, the passionate interest in orientalism and its associatedimagery weakened.

The Nov 27, 1917 Chicago Tribune reported (page 12) that ‘A.Zaphirio,a manufacturer ofcigarettes has not been seen since he went to Turkey forTobaccotwoyears ago.’

Please view all pictures. They form an integralpart of the description!

Confidence and Guarantees

offer with CONFIDENCE, as there is ZERO RISK ofloss. All items come with FULL MONEY BACK GUARANTEES.

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For international customers, we offer a fullrefund, but the buyer will pay all return shipping costs.

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Payments

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We never charge handling or packing fees.

Payment is due within one week of sale end.We ship within one business day after receiving your payment. All shipmentsinclude Tracking and Delivery Confirmation.

In the case of international orders, we shipwithin one business day to an shipping center, the location of theforwarders for the Global Shipping Program. They will ship from the U.S.Charges will vary by country. They will handle import fees. As an internationalbuyer, your final cost may be higher than you are aware. Please ask, and I willtry to find approximate fees for your situation and relay that information toyou. For international customers, we offer a full refund, but the internationalbuyer will pay all return shipping costs.

If you need to contact us via e-mail, please doso through the website via CONTACT SELLER. We will gladly provide a phonenumber at your request.

Packing and Shipping Methods

This item will beshipped via USPS First Class Mail.

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