Proudly proclaimed across the top of the original 1884 Pinhead package was the statement: "These cigarettes are manufactured on the Bonsack Cigarette Machine." In 1880 an 18 year old Virginian named James Bonsack invented a cigarette making machine that dramatically increased production. A skilled cigarette roller made 4 cigarettes a minute, whereas Mr. Bonsack's machine turned out 200 a minute. The importance of the new Bonsack cigarette making machine to this fledging industry was expressed by the Durham, NC newspaper reporter who wrote this small blurb using the quaint language of the day: "As this remarkably ingenious invention marks a new era in this branch of tobacco manufacture, its introduction in our midst is worthy of our notice as an important item in the manufacturing industries of Durham. This machine was set at work in Durham for the first time April 30, 1884. It is unquestionably the most marvelous piece of machinery in North Carolina, and one of the most remarkable in the world. The inventor is now (1884) only twenty-two years of age, and is a son of Mr. Bonsack of Bonsack Station, in Virginia. Six or seven years ago some one remarked in his hearing that all cigarettes were made by hand, and that the inventor of a successful machine would make a fortune. He went to work, and after many experiments and improvements he completed the complicated machine about one year ago."