I apologize in advance for intruding here, but I need help/info and have been directed here by the magazine office as there are so many experts here.

My father died two weeks ago and the estate needs an inventory of his belongings. I am not trying to sell this, just get as much info on it as possible so a semi-accurate value can be attached for the estate inventory.

I found a small wooden box that may or may not be an actual cigar box...no one seems to know...I am at my Dad's house and do not have access to my camera to post a picture, sorry...

The box looks like a log cabin...carved walls to look as dovetailed logs, carved shake roof/chimney, carved depictions of door and windows, even a small bench on the outside with a man's figure lounging on a bench.

The lid (roof) is NOT hinged. The box itself measures 4 1/4" X 5 1/2" X 2 7/8" high, man on front 2 1/2", bottom of box to peak of roof 4".

There is a partial paper band on the bottom that says Santa Fe and the emblem matches the Santa Fe Cigar emblems I've seen online. There is imprinted in black ink an A. Sensenbrenner Sons stamp with factory info and stamp in same black ink with contents of box price floor of 8 cents ceiling of 15 cents.

This could be an old cigar box or it could be someone's artwork in which they used part of an old cigar box for the floor material. The banding and imprints on the bottom are surely real, but whether cigars came in this hand carved box or not is the question.

Has anyone any info where I could look to authentic or discredit this box? I appreciate any help I can get and will surely understand if this post is deleted as way too off topic...

Thanks folks...

No repsonses so far and considering there is a fair number of active forum members, I will speculate that you have those that have viewed this "stumped". I am no cigar box historian. However I am interested in this query. Consider the impracticality of a cigar manufacturer hand carving (or customizing) a box of your description to sell cigars in. It seems to me to be too labor intensive for cigar packaging. The pricing you are finding on the box does not line up with the concept either, IMHO. What seems to be a more logical scenario is that a craftsman of modest means recycled a cigar box to create a piece of folk art. Recycling sundry materials was very common during and shortly after the depression. So, your box's value is far more likely to be in its folk art or depression era craftsmanship qualities than its cigar history. If you agree, then a local store that sells antique folk art may be a better source for determining the value of this piece. Anyone else care to offer a different view?

This site's creator appears to be a great contact regarding your query.
http://www.cigarnexus.com/nationalcigarmuseum/exhibit1/page1.html