Featured Odd antique cigar box "ALL HUNK"

Recent thrift purchase. I've never seen anything like this. At first I thought someone made it, but then could see that it was definitely older.

 

I still think someone made it

 

Elvis' cigars ... burn' love!

 

From the same factory
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175060651826

 

This will help with dating:

http://cigarhistory.info/Dating/Dating_Tax_Stamps.html

Debora

 

When I google "ALL HUNK" with quotations (quotations for a narrow google search) I get from AI and other sources referring to the 19C,

Thanks! Was my first thought, especially with the title. But the more I looked at it, it's definitely an older box with old hardware, but I suppose and older box could have been painted. If it is newer, someone did a great job.

Googling: "ALL HUNK" antique (with quotation marks to narrow the search), AI and a few sites said that the term was used as early as the 1840s to mean safe, healthy, or having successfully achieved a goal. The expression "Hunky dory" was also from the same period.

Curious if this is old or new!

 

Thank you, Debora. That's super helpful and a clever way to help with dating! Much appreciated.

 

from ...
https://ia801304.us.archive.org/0/items/dictionaryofamer00bartiala/dictionaryofamer00bartiala.pdf

 

The things u learn here.......

Well , I'll be a hunk , a hunk , o' burning love !!!!!!

 

In this instance "hunk" probably refers to chewing tobacco sold in "plugs".

(I have not edited the quote below to remove an offensive term.)