Description:
This „Winner Special Filter“ a pack of cigarettes is made Nepal Tobacco Company (PVT) Ltd, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a regional product, developed for the local market, as indicated by the Sanskrit characters (देवनागरी) on the back of the pack and the top excise strip. The pack design is restrained, black with a red-striped excise sticker, and the price in rupees at the top. On the front are three white cigarettes with orange filters, symbolizing "triple quality", and the name WINNER presented at an oblique angle in silver letters.
Such packaging design decisions were typical of Asian manufacturers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when local manufacturers attempted to emulate the visual style of international brands such as Gold Flake, Four Square, and Scissors. Winner was one of the more common local Nepalese products before the liberalization of imported cigarettes.
The packaging, as you can see, remains intact with the original cellophane, but with age spots and some traces of oxidation on the edges, which is typical of older Asian production batches.
Value assessment:
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Collectible value: Average - Although a pack from Nepal is quite rare in the region (due to low local production), similar examples do appear on Asian collector forums. Its highest value is due to its geography (Nepal is one of the rarest tobacco producing countries).
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Condition assessment: Good, original cellophane, but there are stains and signs of age.
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Historical data: Nepal Tobacco Company was founded in 1961 in partnership with British American Tobacco. Winner has been one of their main local brands since 1980, exported in small quantities to India and Bhutan.
