K.C. Hydraulic-Press Brick Co. cigar cutter

Object/Artifact

National Building Arts Center

Front of K.C. HPB cigar cutter

Front view of a small, circular, tarnished gold metallic cigar cutter with raised lettering and a hole in the middle of the cutter

Name/Title

K.C. Hydraulic-Press Brick Co. cigar cutter

Description

A small, circular, tarnished gold metallic cigar cutter with raised lettering and a hole in the middle of the cutter, with English lettering on the front and Chinese characters on the back.

Use

Promotional object, used for the purpose of advertising the company, to commemorate an event, or to show appreciation to employees of the company.

Collection

Promotional object displays

Made/Created

Time Period

19th Century, 20th Century

Notes

The umbrella company of the Hydraulic-Press Brick Co. did not pursue ventures in Kansas City until after 1885, and by 1890, HPB had functioning branch yards in Kansas City. Thus, the coin could have been made any time after 1890. The blade itself is not labelled with a manufacturer, but reads, "PAT. APL'D FOR" (AKA "patent applied for").

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Cutter, Cigar

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Smoking & Recreational Drug Equipment

Nomenclature Class

Personal Gear

Nomenclature Category

Category 03: Personal Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

metal

Dimensions

Diameter

3.2 cm

Parts

Count

Parts

Blade, gold case/cover

Material

Metal

Color

Gold, Silver

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Condition Type

Tarnish, Rust

Date Examined

Jul 22, 2026

Examined By

Elena Marshall

Surface

The gold case has some tarnishing/staining, and the blade is both tarnished as well as rusted around the end of the blade.

Mechanism

The blade can be opened easily from the case, even though the blade itself is slightly rusted.

Research Notes

Research Type

Researcher

Person

Elena Marshall

Date

Jul 22, 2026

Web Links and URLs

Website denoting the Chinese characters on the back of the cigar cutter, and describes what kind of currency the cigar cutter is attempting to replicate.

Notes

The Romanization of the characters on the back of the cigar cutter read "Guang Xu Tong Bao", which translates to "Current treasure of Guang Xu" (Guangxu being the emperor in 1898 when the real versions of these coins were minted).

Research Type

Researcher

Person

Elena Marshall

Date

Jul 22, 2026

Web Links and URLs

Article describing the early years of the Hydraulic Press Brick Co.

Notes

In 1885, HPB "granted a syndicate in Kansas City, Missouri, the exclusive rights (for $25,000) to use the Hydraulic brick press," and "By 1890, Hydraulic had installed patent equipment in branch yards at [...] Kansas City, Missouri"

Create Date

July 22, 2026

Update Date

July 22, 2026