Navy Cut Tobacco was a brand of tobacco products, pipe and cigarette, originally manufactured by John Player & Sons) in Nottingham, England where it continued to be produced after Player's became a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland in 1901. Named "Player's Navy Cut," the brand gained popularity in Britain, Germany, and British Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, later expanding to the United States.[1] The brand's packaging featured a distinctive logo of a sailor in a 'Navy Cut' cap.[2]
The term "Navy Cut" reportedly originated from sailors' practice of binding tobacco leaves with string or twine, allowing the tobacco to mature under pressure, and then slicing off a "cut" for use.[3] The product was also available in pipe tobacco form.
Packaging
The cigarettes were initially available in tins, later transitioning to cardboard containers resembling classic matchboxes and eventually adopting the flip-top design common among cigarette brands in the 1950s.[4]