Dating Tobacco Tins

Pulled from Badger & Blade and Dutch Pipes Smoker

Peterson
YYDDMMXXXX
2003043214 = April 03, 2020

Orlik
YYXXMMXXDD
2124061407 = June 07, 2021

Orlik/STG vs MacBaren
Let me explain. On the picture on the right you see the backside of the two similar Capstan tins. Left the Orlik / STG version, right the new MacBaren. The Orlik / STG tin has 10 digits and then 4. The MacBaren one has 8 and then 5. That is the difference. As you zoom in on the MacBaren tin you see: 09130281 30212. This is how the code can be deciphered:
– 09 = Packing machine used
– 13 = Year of packing
– 028 = Calendar day of production. That means day 028 in 2013. January 28th.
– 1 = Shift (1 indicates it is packed on the day shift)
– The 5 digit number is the internal batch number.
The Orlik / STG tin code is a bit harder to crack: 1208025527 0164.
– 12 = Year of packing
– 08 = Calender day of production. That means the 8th day of the month.
– 02 = Month of packing.
What the rest of the digits mean, no idea.. The 4 digit number is an internal batch number I guess. But this tin comes from February 8th 2012.

Cornell & Diehl
mmddyy
031520 = March 15, 2020

GL Pease
mmddyy
031520 = March 15, 2020

McClelland
XXXXYY
341220 = 2020

Mac Baren
(old) XXYYDDDX (DDD = Calendar Day linear number)
21201256 = May 05, 2020
(new) date printed on can

Dunhill
yymmXXXX

20042134 = April 2020

Peter Stokkebye
yymmXXXX
20042134 = April 2020

Scandinavian Tobacco
XXXXYMDX
CB312C8C = March 8, 2012

CB - The manufacturer: Scandinavian Tobacco in Assens/Denmark.
31 - The machine on which it was produced.
2 - The year of production starting with 2010 (2012).
C - The month of production in order A-L (March).
8 - The day of production within that month (March 8th).
C - Plant Shift

Samuel Gawith
DDMMM
Last 3 digits of code is Month starting December 1995. So December 1995 is 001, December 1996 is 013.
15296 = July 15, 2020

Germain
XXXYMMX
Where Y=Letter code for year with A = 2016

237E104 = October 2020

Esoterica
YXXXMMX
Where Y = last digit of year after 2010
873C053 = May 2018

Kohlhase and Kopp letter code
Letter code x/D/M/Y
Where Y= letter code for year starting in 2000

A/R/B/P = 18 Feb 2016

Altria (may not be correct for all)
xDDDxY
The first character refers to its location.
The next 3 digits are the Julian date, aka the day of the year manufactured.
The next character refers to the shift (which was either X, Y, or Z).
The next digit refers to the year.
The last three digits refer to the case packer.
L133X1000 = May 13, 2011

Peter Stokkebye
First four digits = Batch Number

Second set of four digits = Production date as follows:
1st and 2nd numbers = last two digits of production date (the year)
3rd and 4th numbers = week of production (1-52 weeks in a year)
0815 2020 = 20th week of 2020 (mid May 2020) Last edited: Aug 27, 2022