C.O.C.A. Times

however, survived by having a larger variety of
goods to sell, especially cigarettes. After the
Second World War, the cigar industry was burned
further, as the fashion of cigarette smoking
replaced cigar smoking and later, the no-smoking
movement began. Much of the cigar making
industry with all its cigar machines disappeared for
good.
This edict slowed down the cigar machine busi-
ness for a short time as the word of the new law cir-
culated. Once again, inventors and wizards took
up the new design challenge to re-program the
cigar vender accordingly.
Soon new cigar
machines emerged in the market with the original
version of Windows.
The IRS rule accounts for why there are
(almost) no very early cigar machines that have
survived. But why aren't more of the later win-
dows machines still around? The IRS again. In
1917, in response to the First World War's need for
capital, they changed the tax rate on cigars. The
more expensive cigars were taxed at a higher rate
than those selling for a nickel, unlike the flat rate
before. The tax on a 25¢ cigar, for instance, was
set at six times as much as the tax on a 5¢ cigar.
This squeezed the machine operators to the point of
being unprofitable and thus many cigar machines
themselves went up in smoke. The smoke shops,
From the coin-op collector's point of view, the
rarity of antique cigar machines is especially dis-
appointing because they are some of the most sub-
lime and ridiculous of all vending machines. Cigar
machines reflect the image of cigars, and cigars
carry the history and personalities of the people
who smoked them. In today's anti-smoking world
we no longer have that connection. I guestimate
we have around 30 styles totaling 100 antique cigar
venders that survive. But at least from what we
still have left, like those presented here, we're
close.
The Elm City
Automatic Cigar Cabinet
A classic two brand 5¢ and 1 O vender, The Elm City stands tall in its
handsome Eastlake style oak case with a
center beveled mirror. It is well con-
structed in a furniture quality cabinet.
The cigars are stacked single file into a
shallow tray. Simply putting in a coin at
the top and pulling the drawer knob
releases a cigar to the tray.
Henry T
Crepeau,
the inventor,
claimed he
designed a
machine simple
in construction
and cheap to
manufacture.
It works reliably.
None of this
model has
survived.
The Elm City Automatic Selling
Machine Company of New Haven, CT.,
started in business in 1890 making The
Elm City, a larger version of the earlier
patented Crepeau model. That went
on for a year or two and then was faced
with the problem of new federal laws
that decreed: cigars must be sold from
the box they came in to be sure the
tobacco tax per box was paid. This reg-
ulation pushed the machine over to the
New Haven Car Register Company, also located in New Haven, and they took over manufacturing of the Elm City
as their own. They had pull and got approval from the Internal Revenue Department to sell individual cigars, as
long as the taxed box brand label was visible. Whether any other cigar companies were allowed to do the same
is not known.
An estimated 8 or 9 Elm Cities still exist in various conditions. New Haven Car Register Co., New Haven, Conn.
Patented Dec. 17, 1889. 30"h.
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