Once the tobacco was sold, the seller’s name and number were recorded on the bundle, tracking who had grown and sold it. Each bundle was carefully graded, much like receiving a school grade. This grade showed the tobacco’s quality and helped determine its value.

After the sale, the graded tobacco was packed into wooden crates and prepared for shipment. Workers packed the graded tobacco into wooden crates and prepared it into large wooden hogsheads. Workers then loaded the tobacco onto the buyer’s flatbed truck, ready to leave the warehouse and begin the next stage of its journey—from the farmer’s hands to the market, to production and, eventually, to the consumer.

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