HISTARCH members,

I used to assume that tobacco tins with the word "PLUG" on them, in their
lithography, meant that the tin contained chewing tobacco.

A very well preserved EDGEWORTH EXTRA HIGH GRADE PLUG SLICE tobacco tin has
come to light from a recent excavation with lithography on the inside of
the lid, something I'd never found before. It clearly identified the
contents for EITHER smoking OR chew.

Other examples of brands I've excavated with "plug" identified in the
lithography include: J.G. DILL'S BEST CUT PLUG, LUCKY STRIKE CUT PLUG, and
J. G. DILL'S  BEST  CUBE  CUT PLUG.

Question: Is my original assumption clearly wrong ("plug" = "chew")?  Is
"Plug Slice" = smoking or chew, and "Cut Plug" = chew?


Any advice or insightful comments would be appreciated.


Best,

Robin