Visited Ports.

[Ivan Cloherty]

[QUOTE=Doc Vernon;406912]Do remember those Fags JS
They were long ones as i recall, and had a very nice Packing , the ones i am thinking on were in a Tin, Black it was! Had a sort of Emblem on it very fancy!

/QUOTE]

If I remember correctly they were Russian (export only), black tin as you say, extra long, very expensive, akin to caviar, the name began with an 'S' Sobrani or something like that. Being a non smoker no interest to me, was going to buy the then current girl friend a tin, but then thought she may start to like them and that's all my wages gone!

[Bill Morrison]

#31. Ivan. I think you are remembering Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes, they were manufactured in the UK. I can't remember what the price was but were expensive in comparison with the normal brands. I only started smoking in my mid- twenties(Fool) so only had Black Russians at Christmas or birthdays. I later started to smoke a pipe which I still miss after stopped smoking. Again Balkan Sobranie Pipe tobacco was another treat when feeling flush.
Bill.

[Doc Vernon]

Yes the ones i recall were also Long but normal White Cigarettes with Filter Tips. As said also Black Tin with a nice Emblem on it!
Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

#32 Sounds about right Bill, was a long long time ago (seems like only yesterday) 1950's, but not being a smoker, thought they were Russian, perhaps the romantic in me!

[James Curry]

Like a few here I was a smoker who remembers State express 555. Think that was when I decided to pack in smoking , bloody awful things.https://youtu.be/UHzv2buJusE

Just click skip ads.

[Doc Vernon]

Funny that James, i took up the State Express 555 early in life, seemed not too bad , however changed to Rembrant Van Rijn after untill going to Sea then changed to the Senior Service and Players Navy Cut , these were the best in the days i smoked, gave it all away though later many Years back now! Thank the Lord too! LOL PRICES ARE RIDICULAS!!!

Not like the 10Bob for 200 we used to get on Board!



Capture Max Cigarettes.JPG How many recall this old Fag! LOL Gentlemen only Please!

[James Curry]

Yes Doc thankfully I to realised the ciggies were going to shorten my life. Been a non smoker now for over 35 years. What does amaze me though is today one sees more young girls smoking than young lads. I suppose smoking helps deaden your appetite and some us tabacco as a dieting aid.

Maybe shipping companies reasoning was let them have cheap ciggies and cheap booze and that will keep em happy.

[John F Collier]

During my time in the MN the most popular destination was Japan, it was aways on trampers where you hoped you would end up.At least that was on ships that i served on, my last two ships i was lucky that we went there. Another popular destination was NZ, i realise that was my experience, i wonder , as time went by, did those destinations diminish in popularity. kt

i wanted to see Japan eith but sadly never had the chance, NZ was by far my favourite country, the only place I would have left England for, I often wonder how that may have worked out.
The first shipboard ciggies I remember in 55 were the State Express 555s and 777s packed in flat boxes of 50s and the Capstan hand rolling baccy that you mentioned, when we were homeward bound and nearing the channel, we all had so many fags we used them for stakes when playing cards, with everyone trying to lose because of the Customs searches. cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Funny that James, i took up the State Express 555 early in life, seemed not too bad , however changed to Rembrant Van Rijn after untill going to Sea then changed to the Senior Service and Players Navy Cut , these were the best in the days i smoked, gave it all away though later many Years back now! Thank the Lord too! LOL PRICES ARE RIDICULAS!!!

Not like the 10Bob for 200 we used to get on Board!



Capture Max Cigarettes.JPG How many recall this old Fag! LOL Gentlemen only Please!

Hi Vernon.
That caption would read today, " I'd die for a Max"
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Sobrani Black Russian could be purchased in Las Palmas at a very good rate,
I smoked them for a while, and for one silver salver you could get 200 of them.

It was a good rate of exchange, wonder what it is now?

But the worst smoke of all was C to C.
Cairo to Cape Town we called them.
The tip was made from tobacco dust and heaven help you if you lit the wrong end.