Prince Albert is an American brand of hand-rolled-cigarette and pipe tobacco, introduced by the

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...

in 1907. It has been owned since 1987 by John Middleton Inc.

History

Prince Albert is one of the more popular independent brands of pipe tobacco in the United States; in the 1930s, it was the "second largest money-maker" for Reynolds. More recently, it has also become available in the form of pipe-tobacco cigars. (A 1960s experiment with filtered

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

s was deemed a failure.) The blend is burley-based and remains one of America's top-selling pipe tobaccos. The tobacco was named by R. J. Reynolds after

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, who was known as Prince Albert before being crowned as the King of the United Kingdom. The portrait of Prince Albert was based on one acquired by Reynolds at a tea party with

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. Prince Albert's cigars are available in packs of 5. Prince Albert's pipe tobacco is available in pouches and tins.

Varieties

Cigars

*Prince Albert's Soft Cherry Vanilla *Prince Albert's Soft & Sweet Vanilla

Pipe tobacco

*Prince Albert *Prince Albert Crimp Cut *Prince Albert Cherry Vanilla *Prince Albert Soft Vanilla Cavendish *Prince Albert Mellow

"Prince Albert in a can"

The brand is the basis of a practical joke, usually made in the form of a

prank call A prank call (also known as a crank call, a hoax call, or a goof call) is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering. It is often a type of nuisance call and can be illegal under certain circumsta ...

. The prankster typically calls a store and asks if they have "Prince Albert in a can". When the unsuspecting clerk responds, "yes", (because the tobacco is typically packaged in a can, though other forms of packaging also existed), the caller follows up with, "Well, you'd better let him out!" or something similar.

Collectible Vintage Advertizing Tins

Prince Albert pocket tobacco tins are highly collectible vintage advertising items. Value varies based on the rarity, condition, and age of the tins. The design of the tins changed over time. This is a general dating guide to the changes and evolution of Prince Albert pocket tobacco tins from their first development in 1909 to when the brand was sold in 1987. Other notable tin design variations include: *A different push-up lid and on the bottom it’s stamped in black ink, “PACKED EXPRESSLY FOR THE COMMISSARY DIVISION PANAMA RAILROAD COMPANY”

References

{{Altria Pipe tobacco brands R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company brands Products introduced in 1907 Edward VII