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THE HAMMER DROPS, and you're now the owner of a box (well, most of a box) of 1989 Dunhill Cabinettas, or an entire lacquered box of 1993 H. Upmann Sir Winstons. Lucky you! There are indeed cigar auctions, and the hub of the action has always been London. Christie's was long the dominant player, having had a bit of competition from Sotheby's in Zurich back in the day, although that has changed (see below). There's also an annual auction during the final-night gala of the Habanos Festival in Cuba, where unique one-of-a-kind stocked humidors sell for five and six figures. Not in the mood to coordinate the logistics of shipping back a cabinet-sized humidor (even more problematic for Americans)? No problem; back to London we go.
A number of years ago, inexplicably, Christie's (in London and elsewhere) retired from its cigar auction hosting duties. Sensing an enormous opportunity, Mitchell Orchant, a British merchant from C.Gars Ltd, reached out to Brian Ebbesen, formerly of Christie's, and in 2009 launched semi annual (summer and winter) live auctions at Boisdale Canary Wharf. Although he and Ebbesen parted ways in 2012, Orchant has carried on. Among the highlights from this summer's auction were a Bolivar Centenary Humidor (Lot 278, £3,600); a box of Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva (Lot 182, £2,950); and an H. Upmann 160th Anniversary Humidor (Lot 282, £4,600).
This winter's auction, slated for November 19th, will be a mega-blockbuster, with more than 400 lots of rare and aged Cuban cigars. The star? A 1969 Diplomatic Cohiba Lanceros Estuche Tallado (an engraved humidor) containing 23 cello-wrapped cigars, all of which sport the extraordinarily rare original Cohiba band. Presale estimate: a cool £25,000.
The auctions have become so popular, Mr. Orchant notes, that they've "knocked down millions of pounds' worth of great cigars: Davidoff, Dunhill, pre-embargo, aged, rare, mature - you name it, we've sold it in substantial quantity." So, this July Mr. Orchant launched a Web site that features a number of (relatively) approachable boxes; he calls online auctions "the future" of the business.
He clearly intends to maintain London as the epicenter of the Havana cigar trade. For American buyers, of course, the biggest issue isn't justifying to yourself (or others) dropping a few grand on a partial box of cigars; it's how to get them home. On that note, we can't help you - but we're confident you'll think of something.
NOTES: C.Gar Ltd does not accept phone or online bids for live auctions; it takes absentee bids only if you're not attending. Tickets are available for the auction awards dinner, where Krug Champagne and Glenmorangie single-malt Scotch will flow like the Thames itself. Cigars? Yes, there will be cigars.
