Rare Sealed 1955 Greenfield & Winther Champagne Blend ½ lb Tin — San Francisco House Behind E.G. Robinson

Offered here is a rare ½ pound tin of Greenfield & Winther Champagne Blend Aromatic Pipe Mixture, from 2100 Mission Street, San Francisco, California.

This is one of those tins that has the look before you even get to the story. The cream label, red G&W monogram, elegant Champagne Blend script, and large half-pound format all have that mid-century cocktail-hour charm. It feels like something that belonged on a silver tray in a San Francisco club, sitting beside a pipe, a glass, and a cloud of good conversation.

The tin dates to circa 1955, based on the Series 125 federal tobacco tax stamp across the lid. Greenfield & Winther is best remembered today as the San Francisco blending house originally associated with Edward G. Robinson’s pipe tobacco, one of the great American celebrity blends of the postwar period.

Champagne Blend appears to have been a true composed aromatic, not simply a novelty name. Later tasting notes describe it as a burley-forward mixture with woody, nutty, earthy, slightly floral and spicy qualities, supported by grassy/citrusy Virginia, a touch of black cavendish sweetness, and a restrained champagne-style topping. In other words, this sounds like an older American aromatic in the traditional sense: flavored, yes, but still built around the natural character of the tobaccos.

That Greenfield & Winther connection gives this tin a special pull. A 1940s tin of G&W Edward G. Robinson opened on Pipe Appeal remains the finest vintage smoking experience I have personally encountered in my entire life. Champagne Blend is, of course, a different mixture, but its origin from the same San Francisco blending house gives it a very compelling pedigree.

The tin is unopened and presents beautifully, with the kind of age that tells the story without hiding the label. There is exterior surface rusting, oxidation, age spotting, label wear, and general shelf wear throughout, all shown in the photos. The federal tax stamp remains present across the lid.

Most importantly, the tin presents as tightly sealed. It has not been opened, and there is no detectable movement or sound whatsoever when gently shaken.

A scarce and unusually attractive survivor from Greenfield & Winther, with a wonderful San Francisco origin, a 1950s tax stamp, and a blend name that could hardly be more evocative.


Details

-Tobacco Included: Champagne Blend Aromatic Pipe Mixture
-Quantity: ½ pound tin
-Maker: Greenfield & Winther
-Location: 2100 Mission Street, San Francisco, California
-Era: Circa 1955
-Tax Stamp: Series 125 federal tobacco tax stamp
-Format: Unopened round ½ pound key-wind tin
-Style: Mid-century American aromatic pipe mixture
-Condition: sealed tin with exterior surface rusting, oxidation, age spotting, label wear, and general shelf wear as shown.
-Seal Note: No detectable movement or sound when gently shaken

This auction contains tobacco.  If you live in certain states, you will be unable to purchase this product.