Vintage Tobacco Packs- Let's see them

[Joe_G.]

Henry Moses recent pick-up of an early GQ paper pack helps put a mystery to sleep. I hope you don't mind me re-posting your pick-up here Henry, its a beauty.

This is the ornate 20 count GQ pack, dates to 1886 prior to Goodwin & Co. moving from paper packs to slide and shell boxes. The tambourine strip would have sealed the seam on back of pack. It appears to have long ago been soaked off together with the tax stamp. As I look at the other two images I have of ornate packs they also appear to be paper packs (not slide & shell). My theory is now that the GQs were ornate up until they went to slide & shell. The ornate paper packs wouldn't have cards in them, the plain slide & shell would (in approx. order, likely including N171, N175, N164, N162, N165, and others).

I suspect the cigarette box cases that held these packs were ornate both with the early paper packs and remained so with the later plain packs. I welcome other's thoughts.

[1880nonsports]

pretty sure I noticed differences in the case boxes? I have one and have seen 5/6 others. A while back I remember looking through Heritage past sales and think at least one was different than the others?

[Joe_G.]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

pretty sure I noticed differences in the case boxes? I have one and have seen 5/6 others. A while back I remember looking through Heritage past sales and think at least one was different than the others?

I concur Henry, there are at least two distinct different GQ case boxes as follows (courtesy of Heritage):

Previously some argued both styles housed ornate packs because of the ornate lid. I believe the box on left did distribute the ornate paper packs while the case on the right distributed the plain slide & shell. My previous response was meant to merely share that the ornate lid was used on both.

[canjond]

That all seems correct to me.