Cigar band

A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. Although origins of the device are the subject of several legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant to Cuba named Gustave Bock with invention of the cigar band in the 1830s. Within two decades, banding of cigars exported from Havana became almost universal.

Their use remains very much a part of modern cigar production, with a recent trend towards larger and more elaborate designs in evidence. Cigar bands are considered a collectible by some people today, with collectors organized into a group called the International Label, Seal and Cigar Band Society.

The origin of the use of cigar bands is steeped in myth. One legend has it that Russian Tsaritsa Catherine the Great took cigars wrapped in silk so as not to stain her fingers, with members of her court beginning to wrap cigars in fabric bands in emulation of the queen. Similarly, tales have been told of paper bands used on cigars exported to England to prevent the staining of gentlemen's white gloves.

These fanciful theories aside, cigar historians credit Dutch-born cigarmaker Gustave Bock with the invention of the cigar band in the 1830s, when he ordered paper rings with his signature on them placed on every cigar intended for export to Europe. In this way, an indication of quality and prestige would be lent to Bock's products, he believed. By the middle of the 1850s, virtually all Cuban cigarmakers were banding their exported cigars, registering their marks with the government and urging consumers to insist on banded products.

At the turn of the 20th Century an estimated four out of five American men smoked cigars, with production handled in literally hundreds of factories.Product differentiation became very important in the fiercely competitive 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 maker's marks became an important tool for building brand identities. Historians estimate that approximately 2 billion cigar bands were sold in the United States in the year 1900 alone.

With advances in printing technology, cigar bands became brighter and more pictorial as the 19th Century drew to a close. The bands and box art printed from 1890 to 1920 are today considered to be a product of the "Golden Age" of cigar-related artwork.

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