Turkish Trophies | S. Anargyros Tobacco Co.

"The S. Anargyros Famous Cigarettes company was founded in 1885 and by 1900 had become a subsidiary of the giant American Tobacco. Anargyros’ brands used Egyptian-Turkish motifs, a durable theme that had enchanted the west through much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. To the average American, living without the benefit of today’s media or ease of travel, Egypt and Turkey were basically the same thing–wildly exotic and very, very remote. “Anargyros” is, in fact, a Greek name and plainly unconnected to Egypt, a nuance that was probably also lost on consumers. Examples of popular Anargyros brands included Egyptian Deities, Murad, Turkey Red, Turkish Trophies." Source: Helmar Blog 

Philadelphia PA Inquirer 1905 ad for Turkish Trophies

1884 W. DUKE, SONS & COMPANY leases 2 of the imperfect Bonsack machines and brings them with the help of a mechanic from the Bonsack Machine Company finally to run. James Buchanan (Buck) Duke opens a branch of W. DUKE, SONS & COMPANY at New York. Within a few years it became the leading cigarette producer in USA. [1]

1885 Sotorios Anargyros buys THOMSON TOBACCO COMPANY and renames it to S. ANARGYROS & CO. 

1900 AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY acquires S. ANARGYROS & CO[2]. and R.J. REYNOLDS.
With the break up of the American Tobacco Company, Lorillard was given 15% of the market including most of the “Oriental” brand names including Murad, Helmar, Turkish Trophies, Egyptian Dieties, Mogul and the full Turkish blends. 


1889 J.B. Duke, et al., begins formation of what becomes known as the Tobacco Trust (American Tobacco Company) with intention to take over the cigarette, snuff and smoking tobacco industries, a goal at which they succeeded beyond all dreams of avarice. 

1890  Duke’s proposed merger of five makers of cigarettes was completed in January, 1890: W. Duke, Sons & Co. of Durham, NC and NYC, Allen & Ginter of Richmond, VA, Kinney Tobacco Co. of NYC, Wm. S. Kimball & Co. of Rochester, NY, and Goodwin & Co. of NYC. Later that same year the country’s largest maker of Oriental (Turkish and Egyptian) brands, S. Anargyros[1] Corp. of NYC, was absorbed into the fold. By the end of the decade American Tobacco Co. controlled 90% of U.S. cigarette production, making more than 2,500,000,000 cigarettes a year. 

1912 American Tobacco owned Anargyros, NYC maker of expensive “Oriental” cigarettes, begins distribution of Indian pattern rugs in packages of cigarettes. Continues for 3 years. Starts silks craze.[3]

Mavi Boncuk | Turkish Trophies by Stan, S. Anargyros Tobacco Co.[2]

Turkish Tobacco and Cigarettes in US
Turkishness of Tobacco
Murad The Turkish Cigarette

[1] One area of the cigarette industry which Duke had problems conquering was the network of small tobacconists who were still hand-rolling specialty brands in back-room shops of New York City. He did buy some of the larger of these firms including M. Melachrino, S, Anargyros, Monopole, and Schinasi Bros. bringing on board their expensive Melachrino, Murad, Helmar, Mogul, Natural, Egyptian Prettiest, Egyptian Straights and Egyptian Dieties all-Turkish brands. Duke also sold a line of cheaper “Turkish blend” smokes for the national market. This group included the Hassan Mecca and Fatima brands. Eventually, the trust absorbed most of the other major tobacco companies in the country including Mayo and Wright & Patterson of Richmond, Hanes & Brown of Winston, Beck of Chicago, Scotten of Detroit, Bollman of San Francisco, Finzer of Louisville and Sorg of Middletown. By 1909, The American Tobacco trust controlled 86% of the national cigarette business, 85% of plug, 76% of smoking tobacco, 97% of snuff and 14% of cigar manufacture. The numbers were impressive by any standard the size of the American Tobacco empire also drew the attention of Teddy Roosevelt’s “trust busters” but that’s a story for another day. R. Elliott, editor. (Reprinted from Brandstand Spring 2009) 

[2] The S. Anargyros Famous Cigarettes company of New York City catered to wealthy metropolitan smokers who had developed a taste for rich imported tobaccos. Turkish tobacco meant quality, and Anargyros specialized in expensive all-Turkish tobacco brands. Cigarettes blended from different varieties of tobaccos from Smyrna, Xanthi, Samsoun and the other districts might include Yaka for richness, Serres for mildness, Mahalla for coolness, Zeknia for mellowness, and Bafra for aroma. Mogul was introduced by Anargyros in 1892. Packaging was a colorful clam-shell box that pictured a rather stern looking potentate wearing a very regal turban. Advertised as being democratic in price, Moguls were actually a fairly expensive cigarette at fifteen cents a box of ten. By 1913 Mogul was being made by the P. Lorillard Company in Jersey City. Advertising targeted urban men who longed for adventure. Several colorful "Gulf to Lakes - Why?" ads were published just before the outbreak of World War One. SOURCE

Life, Volume 54 | Life Magazine, Incorporated, 1909

[3] Silks and Satins: Between the breakup of the trust in 1911 and World War One, a dazzling new insert premium took the public’s fancy. OMAR, ZIRA, NEBO, EGYPTIENNE LUXORY, TURKISH TROPHIES and other more expensive “Oriental” blends of cigarettes began offering satin inserts depicting flags, dancing girls and other designs. Oriental and Indian rugs, a very few of which were actually woven silk, came next, followed by a dazzling array of other patterns. Between the breakup of the trust in 1911 and World War One, a dazzling new insert premium took the public’s fancy. OMAR, ZIRA, NEBO, EGYPTIENNE LUXORY, TURKISH TROPHIES and other more expensive “Oriental” blends of cigarettes began offering satin inserts depicting flags, dancing girls and other designs. Oriental and Indian rugs, a very few of which were actually woven silk, came next, followed by a dazzling array of other patterns.