Contingencies MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	25 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	78 Months Ended				3 Months Ended					12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014 Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Liggett Vector Brands [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Putney, Tullo, Calloway, Buchanan, Cohen and Rizzuto [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Nov. 30, 1998 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Liggett [Member] states	Mar. 31, 1998 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Liggett [Member] states	Mar. 31, 2014 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Damages From Cigarette Smoking MSA and Other State Settlement Agreements [Member] Vector Tobacco [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Settlement Agreement [Member]	Nov. 30, 1998 Master Settlement Agreement [Member] Liggett [Member] states	Mar. 31, 2013 NPM Adjustment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2003 NPM Adjustment [Member] states courts	Sep. 30, 2012 NPM Adjustment [Member] states	Mar. 31, 2014 NPM Adjustment [Member] states	Dec. 17, 2012 NPM Adjustment [Member] states	Nov. 30, 2011 NPM Adjustment [Member] states	Mar. 31, 2014 NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Gross Versus Net Dispute [Member] Liggett [Member]	Dec. 31, 2003 Minnesota Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Florida Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Florida Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member] years	Feb. 29, 2012 Mississippi Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member]	Jul. 31, 2000 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Oct. 23, 2013 Engle Progeny Cases [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Engle Progeny Cases [Member] Liggett [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Engle Progeny Cases [Member] Liggett [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Minimum [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Minimum [Member] Florida Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member] years	Mar. 31, 2014 Maximum [Member] Master Settlement Agreement [Member] sponsorships	Dec. 31, 2013 Maximum [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Maximum [Member] Florida Settlement [Member] Liggett [Member] years	Apr. 15, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett and Vector Tobacco [Member]	Apr. 30, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Apr. 15, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]	Apr. 02, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] NPM Adjustment [Member] Liggett [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Minimum loss exposure					$ 0
Number of States									46	45
Number of brand name sponsorships allowed																																				1
Brand name sponsorship period													12 months
Annual payment requirement						9,000,000,000																				100,000	250,000
MSA payment obligations											0	0
Payment obligations			1.65%								1.63%	0.28%											1.25%											1.63%			1.645%
Total cigarettes sold		3.30%
Settlement payment			(25,173,000)				(95,000,000)																				(1,200,000)			(145,000,000,000)	(110,000,000)	(1,126,000)
Settlement Accruals								16,300,000
Aggregate number of settling states																	49
Amounts not expensed by the Company																1,200,000,000
Courts that did not rule																1
Courts that decided the issue																48
Settling states																45
Allocable share of settling states																90.00%
Reduction of any Potential 2003 NPM Adjustment																20.00%
Number of settling states with diligent enforcement not contested																			20	16
Non-settling states																		15
Non-settling states that did not diligently enforce escrow statutes																		6
Settlement adjustment credit																								5,987,000															1,733,000	500,000	5,152,000	6,441,000
Loss Contingency, Settlement Adjustment Credit, Disputed Entitled Amount																																									835,000
Gain (loss) related to litigation settlement	1,500,000														5,602,000						1,345,000	5,602,000
Accrued expense for this matter																					27,600,000				8,500,000
Amount remaining in disputed payment accounts																					24,400,000
Maximum loss exposure				500,000	18,500,000																		38,800,000		16,200,000
Future MSA payments if method of calculation is changed																							2,500,000
Number of states not included in settlement agreement														4
Proposed settlement																									8,500,000
Years annual payments required																												21
Years annual payments required that are subject to flation adjustment																																			12			21
Term of notice from state																													60 days
Punitive damages			8,600,000
Letter of credit				100,000
Agreed additional amount funded				400,000
Litigation settlement and judgment expense				83,000																													86,213,000
Agreed additional amount funded adjusted				$ 317,000