Very Old Montecristo cigars and Box

I just went back to read the replies I received back in 2003... at that point I got frustrated and hit a dead end with them and finding out more. I am hoping to get some exposure on these again to see what it all may be worth. I am not sure the cigars are worth much because even though they were not crumbling dry sticks and they did have some spongyness to them, some of them (not all) have had their wrappers crack and since they were not kept in ideal conditions and I dont know exactly when he last cared for them , they may have lost their "essential oils"? ( only got that from other posts i have read about old cigars) I do smoke cigars but am far from an expert so to smoke one of these myself to see if they are any good wouldnt do me much good as I dont know what to look for.