Unusual and Rare Antique Medical Thermometer Disguised as a Cigar with Original Label - Non Plus Ultra Por Larrañaga c1870

Here on offer is a really unusual and very rare antique medical thermometer that has been designed to be concealed within an imitation cigar.

It is complete with an original cigar label for the maker, Non Plus Ultra - Por Larrañaga, circa 1870.

Por Larranaga is a brand with a long history. Founded in 1834, it is the oldest Cuban cigar brand and enjoys a well-earned reputation for its consistency and good presentation. Por Larrañaga cigars are handmade using long-filler tobacco leaves harvested from the world famous Pinar del Rio region of Cuba.

The outer card surface of the imitation cigar seems to be wrapped in thin brown leather which imitates the look of a real cigar, very well.

It also still retains what looks to be a real cigar label, printed with:

NON PLUS ULTRA POR LARRAÑAGA

Now if you carefully pull out the circular
end of the cigar, it reveals a small glass mercury thermometer hidden inside.

Interestingly, it depicts two temperature scales, one measured in Fahrenheit and the other the now little used Réaumur scale.

Réaumur temperature scale, scale established in 1730 by the French naturalist René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–1757), with its 0°R set at the freezing point of water and its 80°R mark at the boiling point of water at normal atmospheric pressure. Use of the Réaumur scale was once widespread, but by the late 19th century it had been replaced by other systems.

Now during the 19th century, pocket thermometers were sometimes disguised as cigars to make them more socially acceptable and discreet.

Medical instruments were often viewed as odd or intrusive in public. By disguising a thermometer as a common object, like a cigar, people could check their temperature discreetly without attracting attention.
The thermometer is in excellent undamaged condition and the outer casing just shows some fading and marks, commensurate with its age and use.

The cigar measures 4” (10.2cm) long by 0.6” (1.5cm) diameter and including the thermometer weighs 12g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

Please see my TERMS OF BUSINESS regarding Deliver Charges and Insurance regarding additional insurance cover, should you require it, BEFORE the item is dispatched.

The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Thank you for taking the time to look.

Code: 51741