I also can't tell if this is mold that dried out, severe plume, or dust on these two cigars. It is not on any of the other ones. It looks much worse in person.
Anyways, they come back in a week and I would love to surprise him with a functioning humidor. I don't know if he even smokes but it is sad to see the sticks all dried out. They aren't to the point of cracking so that leads me to believe that he does smoke.