There were over 300 different lots of vintage Cuban cigars that were sold at auction earlier this year, raising nearly $553,000 in total sales. C. Gars LTD from the United Kingdom highlighted several rare offerings, including some cigars that pre-dated the Cuban embargo and other limited editions and brands long discontinued. The cigar that brought in the most $$ and got the most attention was a cabinet full of 500 pre-embargo Punch Corona cigars that garnered nearly $52,000.The most expensive item sold was a 500 pre-embargo Punch Coronas cabinet that went for £40,500 (about $51,564). C. Gars Ltd. managing director Mitchell Orchant said, “I believe the British pound’s weak state attributed to the high price of sales. The number of bidders, according to Orchant, exceeded 500 at one point during the auction.” The auction house also had an increased interest from cigar connoisseurs in Asia.Other notable lots included a Partagás 165th Anniversary Humidor that sold for about $12,859, a cabinet of 100 Por Larrañaga Coronations Miniature ($8,403), a cabinet of 50 Davidoff Chateau Yquem coronas from the 1980s ($8,021), and a cabinet of 60 Dunhill Special Seleccion no. 415, sold for $7,766. The June auction was C.Gars Ltd.’s second of 2017. The company is expected to host two more vintage Cuban cigar auctions this year, in September and November.Villiger 1888 Corona Cigars
