Cigar Machine Corporation - 1913 dated Stock Certificate

Stock. An extensive search of historical records, spanning the Department of Justice, historical societies, and cigar manufacturers, revealed no evidence of a company named “Cigar Machine Corporation.” Instead, the history of cigar machine manufacturing was shaped by various other companies and inventors, particularly American Machine and Foundry (AMF). Some of these machines can be traced back to inventor Oscar Hammerstein in the 1880s. The rise of these machines in the 1920s revolutionized the cigar industry by mechanizing the production process and paving the way for larger-scale manufacturing.

Key companies that utilized and produced these machines include J.C. Newman Cigar Company, which employs vintage AMF machines, and International Tobacco Machinery (ITM). ITM was established in 1977 from an earlier company that engaged in trade and servicing of cigar machinery. Although a “Cigar Machine Corporation” has not been discovered, a company named International Cigar Machinery Company and others were at one point mandated by the U.S. government to provide year-long leases and sales of their machines to foster competition. This suggests the existence of multiple entities in the cigar machinery sector, although none bear the exact name requested.