I should have known Kevin would have the answer -- or rather, ALL the
answers. Thanks!

*_________________________________*

*Peter Salwen /* salwen.com
*114 W 86, NYC 10024 | 917-620-5371*


On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 10:02 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Aschermann registered Mark Twain Cigars on July 1, 1877. I've found nothing
> to indicate that he paid Twain anything or that Twain even even knew of
> him.
> He produced cigars (I have one of his cigar boxes, perhaps the only example
> that survives), a trade card, and a small oblong poster, plus the two
> pieces
> of sheet music. I've played the waltz, but not the mazurka. The waltz isn't
> bad, but it ain't Chopin. Based on slim evidence, his cigars seemed to have
> been sold mostly in the midwest.
>
> Aschermann's are the earliest Mark Twain Cigars I have found, and he was
> followed by many others. I have examples of all of the other boxes and
> advertising cards by other makers. Just to avoid confusion, the Mark Twain
> Cigar box and labels and signs you usually see (Known to Everyone, Liked by
> All) was much later. The designs were proofed in 1913, the cigars were
> being
> advertised for sale by March, 1916, but that brand was not registered until
> 1931. The factory that made their labels and bands shut down ca. 1950, but
> production of the cigars may have ended earlier.
>
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at:
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Salwen
> Sent: Monday, November 20, 2017 5:08 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Here's a curiosity
>
> I just stumbled across these two oddities from around 1880 at the Library
> of Congress website: "Mark Twain Mazurka" and "Mark Twain Waltz," published
> by Wm. Rohlfing & Co., composed by respectively Felix Kraemer and "X.Y.Z."
> and allegedly "dedicated" to Messrs Edw. Aschermann & Co., manufacturers of
> the celebrated Mark Twain cigars. The covers are illustrated with what I
> take to be advertising or packaging graphics for the cigars. Does anyone
> know the story about this stuff? For example, did MT get paid for the use
> of his name?
>
> For anyone who wants a closer look, here are the links:
>
> https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1880.15910.0?st=gallery
>
> https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1880.15909.0?q=mark+twain&st=gallery
>
> -- Pete Salwen
>