From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cigar band
Cigar band
Heyday of cigars
At the turn of the 20th Century an estimated four out of
five American men smoked cigars, with production han-
dled in literally hundreds of factories.[1] Product differ-
entiation became very important in the fiercely compet-
itive marketplace as makers struggled to win and keep
market share. With the cost of production of cigar bands
approximately 70 cents per thousand, the use of colorful
A cigar band. maker’s marks became an important tool for building
brand identities.[1] Historians estimate that approxi-
A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted mately 2 billion cigar bands were sold in the United
around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. States in the year 1900 alone.[1]
Although origins of the device are the subject of several
legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant Band production
to Cuba named Gustave Bock with invention of the cigar With advances in printing technology, cigar bands be-
band in the 1830s. Within two decades, banding of cigars came brighter and more pictorial as the 19th Century
exported from Havana became almost universal. drew to a close. The bands and box art of the period 1890
Their use remains very much a part of modern cigar to 1920 is reckoned today as the "Golden Age" of cigar-re-
production, with a recent trend towards larger and more lated artwork.[2]
elaborate designs in evidence. Cigar bands are considered Cigar bands in the early 20th Century were precut
a collectible by some people today, with collectors orga- by the printer and generally were shipped in bundles of
nized into a group called the International Label, Seal and 100.[1] Bands were applied by hand as one of the final
Cigar Band Society. stages of the production process, with the cigarmaker
generally backing the band with a dab of plant-based
History glue to hold it in place on the finished cigar.[1] Bands
produced in Europe were typically carefully designed to
match packaging motiffs while in the United States many
Origins bands bore to the boxes or inner paper in which they
The origin of the use of cigar bands is steeped in myth. were packaged.[1]
One legend has it that Russian Tsaritsa Catherine the Cigar bands were also used as a primitive form of
Great took cigars wrapped in silk so as not to stain her trading stamps by some cigarmakers of the early 20th
fingers, with members of her court beginning to wrap Century, with at least one company producing an illus-
cigars in fabric bands in emulation of the queen.[1] Simi- trated catalog replete with premiums which could be re-
larly, tales have been told of paper bands used on cigars ceived in exchange for dozens, hundreds, or thousands of
exported to England to prevent the staining of gentle- its bands.[1]
men’s white gloves.[1] From the 1920s onward, cigar bands have tended to
These fanciful theories aside, cigar historians credit become less artistically appealing and more utilitarian,
Dutch-born cigarmaker Gustave Bock with the invention owing to the spread of low cost four-color printing.[2] In
of the cigar band in the 1830s, when he ordered paper tandem with this change, the growth of the use of ciga-
rings with his signature on them placed on every cigar rettes dramatically reduced the number of cigar manu-
intended for export to Europe.[1] In this way, an indica- facturers thereby lessening their need for brand differen-
tion of quality and prestige would be lent to Bock’s prod- tiation.
ucts, he believed. By the middle of the 1850s, virtually all
Cuban cigarmakers were banding their exported cigars, Collectibility
registering their marks with the government and urging
Cigar bands were sometimes collected by children during
consumers to insist on banded products.[1]
the so-called "Golden Age" of cigar art due to their varied
and colorful nature and their ready availability.[2] The
bright bands were sometimes collected and combined in-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cigar band
band while the cigar is being smoked is deemed a matter
of personal preference.[4]
Removal of the band is sometimes difficult when a
cigar is freshly lit, although in short order the heat of the
smoke generally loosens any adhesive glue impeding the
band’s removal.[4]
Footnotes
[1] ^ Tony Hyman, "The Band: The History and the
Romance of Cigar’s Paper Ring," Cigar Aficionado,
Recent years have seen a trend towards larger and more elabo-
vol. 3, no. 2 (Winter 1994), pp. 112-123.
rate cigar band art.
[2] ^ "Cigar Bands — Hearsay & History," "Up In
Smoke" Cigar Band Museum, ripco.net/ Retrieved
to collage art by scrapbookers — surviving specimens October 24, 2010.
of which are eagerly sought today by collectors of folk [3] Ed Barnes, "Collecting Cigar Bands," The Cigar-Label
art.[2] Gazette, 1999; pg. 10.
Vintage and modern cigar bands are collected today, [4] ^ Anwer Bati, The Cigar Companion: The Connoisseur’s
with collectors joined into an organization called the In- Guide. Third Edition. Philadelphia and London:
ternational Label, Seal and Cigar Band Society. The Running Press, 1997; pg. 44.
largest collection of bands was accumulated by American
collector Joe Hruby, listed in the Guinness Book of World
Records for a collection of over 165,000 distinct varieties External links
of bands — although that number had ballooned to over • "Up in Smoke" Cigar Band Museum index page,
221,000 varieties by 1999.[3] International Label, Seal and Cigar Band Society.
Retrieved October 24, 2010.
Smoking etiquette
The matter of whether to leave a cigar band on while
the cigar is being smoked is a matter of some debate. In
See also
Great Britain bands have been traditionally removed, the • cigar
retention of the brand names being commonly consid- • List of cigar brands
ered a form of impolite boasting by one smoker amongst • Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme
his fellows.[4] Elsewhere, whether or not one retains the
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cigar_band&oldid=419203884"
Categories:
• Cigars
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