Cigar Box Label, Monument Square, Original Lithograph, NOS 1910's, Antique

• Pattern:  Antique Cigar Box Label, Monument Square, Original Lithograph
• Made in: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Antique:  circa 1910
• Details:  This is a very old cigar box label from the George Schafer - H.C. Pfaff Cigar Company.  It is a lithograph and it features the Monument Square in Baltimore.    What makes this label so great is not only its age, (it's over 100 years old!), but also the high quality embossing, the gilding, and the rich history it represents (see below).   This label is slightly glossy, heavily embossed and gilded, we've tried to show this in the pictures because all this makes it even nicer as a collector's item.  Copies of this label are everywhere, it is a rare find in this condition, original, unused, suitable for framing, and recommended to maintain condition.  This label framed, would make a great housewarming gift for someone in Baltimore, MD.  A history buff, a native Baltimorean or even as man-cave or bar decor.
• Material:  Paper
• Dimensions:   9.25 inches Long and 7.0 inches Tall 
• Condition:  Vintage - Guaranteed Original.  This is an original, new old stock item, never been used, mint condition.  The paper is yellowing, more noticeable on the back side, but this is consistent with age.  Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are VINTAGE and ANTIQUE items, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections.  

The "Battle Monument" shown on this label was built in Baltimore Maryland and is within "Battle Monument Square".   It honors those who died in the War of 1812 during the month of September 1814.  The monument was designed by one of Baltimore's own architects,  J. Maximilian Godefroy,  and built between 1815 and 1825, it is 39 feet tall.  The monument was originally topped by an 8 feet tall, 2,750 pound Carrara marble statue by Antonio Capellano.  It is a female figure representing the City of Baltimore, she wears a crown of victory and holds a laurel wreath in one hand and a ship's rudder in the other, however, the original was moved to a museum and now a concrete replica stands in its place.  The statue is affectionately called Lady Baltimore. H.C. Pfaff started his company in 1890 in a small building on Mosher and Carey Streets in the downtown Baltimore MD. George Schafer started making cigars by hand in 1896.  Eventually the two companies merged and moved to Light and Lombard Streets.  They made several cigars: Uncle Willies, (their best seller), Fire King, Clifton Park, and Monument Square, perhaps others.  In the early 1920’s machine made cigars started to take over the industry,  hand rolled cigars couldn't compete and hundreds of cigar rollers became unemployed. In 1929 Schafer bought out Pfaff and Schafer’s nephews, Harry Sr and Ted Brockman, became the owners.  Schafer-Pfaff continued to make machine made cigars until 1963 when the company was bought by T E Brooks Company of Red Lion, PA. In its peak, Baltimore was home to over 132 cigar factories but the sale of Schafer-Pfaff ended the long tradition of cigar making in Baltimore, MD as they were the last standing company still making cigars in that city. Chromolithography is a unique method for making multi-color prints.  Chromolithography, became the most successful of several methods of color printing developed by the 19th century.