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BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE
Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over the next few weekends BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.
are the cigars real?
- Thread starter idahogn
- Start date
Kurtdesign1
The Thinker
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,415
I am not an expert; I'll just start by saying that...
Although the truth is in the smoking and construction details, the box shows me these things:
1) No box code/stamp of any kind
2) The Cuba warranty seal image is sized improperly compared to the paper size and I didn't notice a code on it
3) The Habanos sticker is on a different side then what I normally see
4) The Esplendidos/ Havana, Cuba wood burning is on the side of the box rather than the lower right corner of the front.
5) No Hologram on the lower right corner
Now some of these items may be explained if the box is either very old/very new, since I can not speak for any recent changes to Cohiba packaging or how they looked long ago. But from what I see in those 8 photos, it's enough for me to stay away. Just my 2 cents.
Although the truth is in the smoking and construction details, the box shows me these things:
1) No box code/stamp of any kind
2) The Cuba warranty seal image is sized improperly compared to the paper size and I didn't notice a code on it
3) The Habanos sticker is on a different side then what I normally see
4) The Esplendidos/ Havana, Cuba wood burning is on the side of the box rather than the lower right corner of the front.
5) No Hologram on the lower right corner
Now some of these items may be explained if the box is either very old/very new, since I can not speak for any recent changes to Cohiba packaging or how they looked long ago. But from what I see in those 8 photos, it's enough for me to stay away. Just my 2 cents.
I'll verify them.
I think you may be mistaken on a number of points in your observations...Kurtdesign1 said:
There is a Hollogram - check the picture #1 - it is in the lower left of the top of the box.
There is a date stamp - check picture #6 - it is faint, I can't quite make out the factory code, it looks like "CGI" or "CGL", and the date is "JUL 04".
What I find odd is the Cuban seal and the "Habanos" stickers are on the opposite side of where they normally are. Usually the cuban seal is in the lower left corner (looking at the front side of the box) and the Habanos sticker is on the top right.
Not so with Cohiba... for some reason or another.. they have it in reverse on their cabinet boxes... just checked on a few of mine ones (which I know to be legimite stock to 100% certainty) and they've got the stickers in the same places too...solomr2 said:
From what I can tell by the picture.. there is nothing to indicate fugazi.. but some of the pictures are not very clear.. for instance, how many workers are there in the field on the government seal? There should be 9 workers as this is an 04 box..
The best advise was given though.. don't buy from someone you don't trust and know when buying privately.. with vendors, the best you can do is re-search them.. enough until you are satisfied that you can trust them.
For all we know about these cigars is that the box is real and the cigars inside could still be fugazi.. I've seen a box of cohiba where the lid was real.. so was the bottom.. didn't come from the same batch however.,. the top was taken from a later version of cohiba and put on a legitimit bottom of a june 94 box..The only way to spot it was to know that the style the lid was is didn't come out until a year later...... God only knows what the cigars inside was.. This box is now a part of my friend Tony's (a vendor here) example on how smart and hard to detect the fugazi people can be.....
8)
i got this response this am
no problem not offend at all . the box was purchased at the goverment store in Havana Cuba . it also has been verivied by 2 local well known cigar stores in Toronto. if you look at one of the pics (cigar 8) you can see the date code (3 digits on top and the date under it ) .the flash from the camera has washed it out . it reads L6L Jul 04 , it also has the Hollogram seal on it . as far as I know fakes do not have the Hollogram seal (hard to print ). also if the serial #seal if viewed under a "black light/ultra violet light the serial numbers on the seal are in two different colors (black/red) .and there is also very detailed "micro printing" on the seal just like on money (another thing very hard to forge). and a bunch of other stuff that verify it is authentic . hey , I'll ship the box to you and if they are fake I will be MORE than happy to refund your money , you just return the box of unsmoked cigars less one cigar back to me . I have a good rep on this board and turbobuicks.com for buying and selling stuff. these cigars can fetch up to $650-$800 a box . I'm not hard up to sell these , I just thought someone may appreciate them more than me . I'll just end up handing them out .
no problem not offend at all . the box was purchased at the goverment store in Havana Cuba . it also has been verivied by 2 local well known cigar stores in Toronto. if you look at one of the pics (cigar 8) you can see the date code (3 digits on top and the date under it ) .the flash from the camera has washed it out . it reads L6L Jul 04 , it also has the Hollogram seal on it . as far as I know fakes do not have the Hollogram seal (hard to print ). also if the serial #seal if viewed under a "black light/ultra violet light the serial numbers on the seal are in two different colors (black/red) .and there is also very detailed "micro printing" on the seal just like on money (another thing very hard to forge). and a bunch of other stuff that verify it is authentic . hey , I'll ship the box to you and if they are fake I will be MORE than happy to refund your money , you just return the box of unsmoked cigars less one cigar back to me . I have a good rep on this board and turbobuicks.com for buying and selling stuff. these cigars can fetch up to $650-$800 a box . I'm not hard up to sell these , I just thought someone may appreciate them more than me . I'll just end up handing them out .
Agree with Hawkan here-nothing about the box that cries out "fake". Holigrams are only on boxes sold in Cuba. Have seen faes with holigrams, however. Box looks real-maybe the cigars are also. My motto is trust your vendor. If you don't trust him, don't buy them!!!
how many holograms did ya need? http://www.justfakes.com/
someone will be taken for a ride, no question.
try to educate people to buy from only trusted sources. thats the best you can do.
the people here all did their homework to get this far.
we can't hold everyone's hand... tell them the truth, and let them find out.
a fool and his money are soon/easily parted.
someone will be taken for a ride, no question.
try to educate people to buy from only trusted sources. thats the best you can do.
the people here all did their homework to get this far.
we can't hold everyone's hand... tell them the truth, and let them find out.
a fool and his money are soon/easily parted.
Why take chances? There are plenty of reliable retail sources around ... as well as tons of your fellow BOTL who sell and trade. Isn't piece of mind worth a few extra dollars ... ?
Rule 1: If it concerns you enough to question authenticity ... then PASS.
Rule 1: If it concerns you enough to question authenticity ... then PASS.