Cigar Bands

September 25th, 2009 | Cigar Bands, Collectibles

AUTHENTIC DUNHILL 18k SOLID YELLOW GOLD CIGAR BAND RING

US $1,500.00

Sale

CIGAR BAND 225 ct ladies YELLOW GOLD DIAMOND RING 14K

US $1,295.00

Sale

Collectibles -> Tobacciana -> Cigar

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

Related Posts

Perfume Bottles Collectibles -> Vanity-Perfume-and-Shaving -> Perfumes Perfume bottles are a highly collectible item, not just because of their uniqueness and beauty, but because they’re easy to store and display. They’re small, smaller than many other types of collectible items, so even those with limited space can enjoy collecting at least a......
Tapestries Collectibles -> Linens, Fabric & Textiles -> Tapestries Tapestries are more than just beautiful wall hangings, they're woven art that served to tell stories in ancient times. The Odyssey and the Iliad were both “told” in woven form as large, rich tapestries. Every period in history has had major events......
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.......
Japanese Art Collectibles -> Cultures-Ethnicities -> Asian Japanese art is a type of art that has a very distinctive look. If a painting, a vase, a sculpture or some other type of art is Japanese, particularly if it’s antique art, it usually only takes a quick look for you to recognize the......
Ebay Collectibles To make a living with ebay collectibles, you need to have a good way to find a stream of products to sell. Ebay can be a great marketing tool, but an ebay collectibles business will fail if you don't constantly find more items. The best advice is to get sellers......

Related Websites

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.Â As food prices has risen over the last decade, families are finding that food purchases are consuming more and more of their monthly budget.Â By changing some ingrained habits and making......
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......
Finding Antiques and Collectibles If you are interested in the art of antiquing, then you should know that there are antiques and collectibles that you can find in all shapes, all sizes and all kinds of locations. All of these antiques and collectibles have history, a past, a story to them. People can find......
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......
USNA Band Holiday by the Bay Start the holiday season off with the United States Naval Academy Band! On Friday, December 7, at 7:30 P.M., the band will present a concert of holiday favorites in Mahan Hall. Lieutenant Commander Brian O. Walden will lead a program of contemporary and traditional carols to put you in the......