Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

July 18, 1993
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society

Tobacco products are collectible

Though the tobacco plant had been used by the natives of the American continent for centuries, it took the arrival of Europeans and the subsequent importing of the plant to the old world for the tobacco industry to form.

As it became a more popular commodity, companies began producing a wide variety of products promoting its use.

Iron smoker’s pipes that also were axes were made as trade for the Indiana. Josiah Wedgewood (1730-1795) produced ceramic pipes which could be considered more art object than functional, yet people used them to smoke. Tobacco boxes, humidors, cigar cutters, pipe cases, cigar bands, lighters, jars, tins, advertisements . . . the list seems endless. And, with the passage of the years all of those items became collectible.

The Vigo County Historical Society has a small collection of Tobacco Tags, gathered by Blackford and Allen Condit. The tags were attached to the tied strings of small cloth bags which held tobacco. A number of tobacco companies used the tags not only to identify their products, but as a way to increase sales. The tags were used as premiums, much like trading stamps, with catalogs listing the number of tags needed to redeem their merchandise.

Part of the society’s Tobacco Tag collection is a certificate issued by the American Tobacco Co. as script to equal the value of 10 tags. The script did have an expiration date (Nov. 30, 1907) which made it important that customers “get out their and buy” so as not to lose the value of the tags.

Each of the companies had their own particularly shaped tag. Some were extremely plain; a star shape with a hole for the string punched in the center or a simple disc with the name of the company embossed on top.

Others were quite elaborate. One tag shows a figure reminiscent of Roman or Greek mythology, classically seated and draped. What appears to be a large animal stands next to the figure. The embossed metal tag is one of the larger ones in the collection, measuring close to 1 1/2 square inches. The tag has K of L Plug embossed on the figure’s platform. Animals, shields, and heraldic symbols also were popular.

Tobacco companies also issued tokens which actually circulated as money. Shortages of government-issued coins often led to the issuing of trade tokens and script, both in the United States and abroad. The tobacco industry issued their own tokens.

Though tobacco tokens and tags had monetary value when they were first issued, many kids started to collect them strictly as a hobby. They traded among themselves for better quality or more interesting shapes, much like those collection baseball cards today. The collecting of better quality tobacco related objects, like the pipes of Josiah Wedgewood, was left to adults. One British collector, J. Trevor Barton, amassed a large enough collection that it became the basis for a museum. The Museum of Tobacco Art and History of Nashville, Tenn., which opened in 1982.

Collecting tobacco memorabilia is a field that is relatively unknown and unexplored. Whatever the outcome of the fight for and against the use of tobacco, the collecting of tobacco related objects will more than likely continue to grow.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Return Home