Cigar bands have a rich history, or more accurately, several histories. They’ve been attributed to the Russian queen Catherine the Great, and 19th century England, among other places. One story says that Catherine the Great ordered that her cigars be wrapped in silk to protect her fingers from becoming stained, so that afterwards, rings made of silk were put on cigars to mimic the queen. But even if she had smoked cigars (which there’s no evidence of) and had ordered silk wrappings, that probably wouldn’t have given birth to cigar bands on cigars made in faraway Cuba.

Another version says that in the 1800s, English ladies worried about soiling their white gloves while smoking cigars so they were wrapped with cigar bands allowing them to hold their stogies without staining their hands. And while apparently Spanish cigars from that era actually could stain your fingers, thanks to a chicory-shaded gum that wrapped them, dark wrappers were out of vogue by the middle of the century anyway.

And another version of the origin of cigar bands said they were designed to hold poorly rolled cigars together. Yet, cigar bands were supposed to in no way constrict the cigar. Cigar rolling in Cuba is an art form, with each cigar shaped, packed and rolled by hand. A band to hold it together is unnecessary, and a tight band would alter the density of the cigar, ruining the handwork by the masters. Also, Cuban cigars should have the bands removed before smoking, dispelling this theory.

As the finest cigars in the world have always come from Cuba, their version is more likely to be accurate. Gustave Bock ordered paper rings bearing his signature to be placed on every exported cigar. Banding was common by the middle of the 19th century. The band on a cigar became a badge of honor—people wanted to smoke cigars with cigar bands that bore certain brand names. With the popularity of cigar smoking in Americe, US makers upped production and bands were considered an unnecessary expense. By by the turn of the century, 80% of men in America smoked cigars, and cigar bands became a selling point for certain brands of cigars. Even cheap cigars bore colorful bands as part of their appeal to the consumer.

Cigar bands became throwaway items that people started clamoring to collect, much like matchbooks and bottlecaps. New band styles would sell out quickly, and albums for their collection were handed out by store owners and tobacconists. Then, similar to how green stamps worked, consumers could collect cigar bands and turn them in for other items household items like silverware, bedroom sets, footballs or magazine subscriptions. You could even combine them with tin tags from snuff and coupons from cigarettes.

The cigar bands most in demand are from this era and before. You can usually find vintage lots of cigar bands in online auctions for little money, though some of the more rare brands and designs command higher prices.

Originally posted 2008-10-19 05:00:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Cash Registers Collectibles -> Banks-Registers-and-Vending Some of us remember going into the local Mom & Pop shop and having our penny candy rang up on a tall brass cash register. Some of us have seen such registers in dime stores or in antique stores. There are many things to be appreciated about......
• Cat Collectibles Collectibles -> Animals -> Cat-Domestic The history of cat collectibles goes back much farther than you probably realize. Cats were revered in Ancient Egypt where citizens did more than collect cat-related items, they collected the cats themselves. So far, over 300,000 mummified cats have been found buried in ancient tombs.......
• Buy Collectibles from the Civil War If you are interested in learning what it takes to buy collectibles, one of the types of collectibles that you may consider purchasing is Civil War collectibles. There are plenty of places that you can turn to that will allow you to buy collectibles relating to the Civil war, and......
• Finding Collectibles Online Everybody has some kind of special item that has been in the family for as long as anyone can remember. It might be a vase, an antique jar or some other special collectible. As far as we can tell, its been handed down from one generation to the next, and......
• Coffee Sets Collectibles -> Housewares-and-Kitchenware -> Tableware A coffee set is a highly collectible item, whether you’re looking for a traditional Turkish coffee set that’s unique, or a modern-day coffee set designed for novelty. Before there were sets designed for the brewing and drinking of coffee, however, coffee had to become popular......

• What Is Clutter WHAT IS CLUTTER? Merriam-Webster?s Dictionary defines clutter as ?a crowded or confused mass or collection.? Does this sound like your house? What about your office at work? Maybe in your car? Clutter follows you everywhere and if you have clutter in one place, more than likely, you have clutter in......
• Local Music A Tough Sell It is very hard to be in the local music industry, my gal who runs Rock Along Productions wades into this business with razer thin profit margins and high risk booking bands and fronting venue fee"s not because she is looking to get rich, but because she truly loves promoting......
• Are Your Food Purchases Breaking Your Budget? One of the most important purchases we make is the food that we buy for ourselves and our families.  As food prices has risen over the last decade, families are finding that food purchases are consuming more and more of their monthly budget.  By changing some ingrained habits and making......
• Truly Rare Wine - Ice Wine When it comes to collecting different types of wine, one of the more popular options for collecting is to try out different types of rare wine. One example of a rare wine that you may want to consider is known as ice wine. Ice wine is regarded as being one......
• How to Keep Your Collectables Safe from the Elements Many of us have prized possessions, such as collectables from our youth and family heirlooms that we want to preserve for our children, our grand children, and generations to come. It might be something like an old sports card from your youth, a doll that your great grandmother owned, or......

• Bands Cigar Tobacciana Collectibles