Factory Codes
Production & CuringEnglish
Definition
Stamps and marks on the bottom of a box identifying where and when it was made. Cuban boxes carry a factory code plus a month and year stamp, a system formalized in 2000, while non-Cuban makers use their own date and lot codes.
Why it matters
Codes let a buyer verify age and production origin rather than trust a shop's word, and among collectors particular factory and date combinations carry real premiums.
In context
"The box code put it at a 2016 production, which matched the color of the wrappers."
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