Collectible Tobacciana / Keepsake Box, Antonio Y Cleopatra, Grenadiers Claro, Embossed & Gilded Label, Cardboard, Dominican Republic, Vintage 1970s–1980s

On the outside: a coin, two profiles, tobacco leaves. Open it, and Cleopatra is waiting.

This is a vintage empty Antonio Y Cleopatra Grenadiers Claro box — heavy cardboard construction with a coin-motif exterior and a gorgeous, heavily embossed and gilded label inside the lid depicting Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra in full classical scene. Circa 1970s–1980s, made in the Dominican Republic. One available.

The exterior is restrained and elegant — a medallion with the profiles of Antony and Cleopatra framed by tobacco leaves. But open the lid and the full label is revealed: a richly detailed scene of Cleopatra reclining in a regal chair, Marcus Antonius at her side, every surface embossed and gilded with the painstaking craftsmanship that made mid-century cigar box labels among the finest commercial art of their era. Marked on the base: American Cigar, A Division of American Brands Inc., New York, NY 10167 — which dates this box confidently to between 1970 and 1994, when American Brands sold its tobacco operations to Brown & Williamson.

Antonio Y Cleopatra Grenadiers originated in Cuba in 1879 — one of the oldest cigar brand names still in production. American Brands Inc. itself began as The American Tobacco Company, founded by J.B. Duke in 1890, restructured as a holding company in 1969, and eventually renamed Fortune Brands after its tobacco divestiture. This small box sits at the intersection of three centuries of American and Caribbean tobacco history.

Today it serves beautifully as a desktop organizer, a keepsake box, a playing card or game storage container, a bar catchall for bottle openers and wine stoppers, or simply a decorative object on a shelf.

A wonderful find for a tobacciana collector, a brand history enthusiast, a lover of classical iconography in commercial art, or anyone who appreciates beautiful objects with deep roots.

• Brand: Antonio Y Cleopatra — established Cuba, 1879; this box made in Dominican Republic
• Maker: American Cigar, A Division of American Brands Inc., New York
• Dated: circa 1970s–1980s (pre-1994 divestiture)
• Dimensions: 6.75" × 6.5" × 2.0" tall
• Material: Heavy cardboard, embossed & gilded paper labels
• Condition: Vintage used, very good. Piece of tape on exterior top; minor surface scratches. Very clean inside and out. Please review all photos carefully — we cannot accept returns.