E F Caldwell Humidor
Vintage 1910s American Gothic Decorative Boxes
Bronze, Enamel
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Aluminum, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Revival Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Metal
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Decorative Bowls
Metal, Brass, Steel
Vintage 1930s French Belle Époque Picture Frames
Bronze, Enamel
Antique 19th Century Chinese Beds and Bed Frames
Gold Leaf
Antique 18th Century English Neoclassical Console Tables
Alabaster, Marble, Gold Leaf
Antique Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Decorative Boxes
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Toys and Dolls
Wood
Antique 19th Century German Models and Miniatures
Silver
Antique 19th Century Swiss Other Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Gold
Antique 19th Century Chinese Beds and Bed Frames
Gold Leaf
Antique Late 19th Century Russian Baroque Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Pedestals
Marble, Wrought Iron
Antique Late 19th Century Russian Desk Sets
Enamel, Silver
2010s British Cabinets
Gold Leaf
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Boxes
Leather
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Belgian Tapestries
Wool, Silk, Tapestry
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Andirons
Bronze
Finding the Right Cigar-boxes for You
Cigars were not always packaged in what we now know as the antique cigar boxes and humidors that have over time become eye-catching decorative objects as well as collector’s items.
Outside the United States, cigar boxes are said to have originated in the 1840s when a German businessman, Hermann Dietrich Upmann of H. Upmann Cigars, bought a cigar factory and opened a bank in Havana, Cuba. Upmann reportedly handed out cedar cigar boxes branded with advertising for the bank as gifts to his banking clients. In the early 1860s, after years of cigars being shipped in big crates or barrels, cigar boxes became a requirement when the United States passed a law that mandated the use of boxes for tobacco producers, which was part of a broader effort to regulate the tobacco industry and generate revenue for the war effort. Humidors, which are moisture-controlled storage boxes that allow a cigar enthusiast to store, organize and preserve a larger collection of cigars, were very popular accessories during the early 1900s onward.
As the use of cigar boxes and humidors became widespread, all kinds of options materialized over the years, with particularly vibrant editions of these decorative objects emerging during the Art Nouveau, mid-century modern and other eras. Visionary designers like Isamu Noguchi popularized the idea of tobacco accessories as art with projects such as his decorative ashtrays.
Today, not unlike antique and vintage ashtrays, cigar boxes are more than practical objects. In fact, there are many uses for an old cigar box even after the cigars are gone. They can be used as planters, tissue boxes or can support your long-delayed effort to organize your sewing and craft supplies. During the Great Depression, an emptied cigar box — perhaps a walnut Art Deco-style cigar box with inlays in bronze and hand-carved decorative geometric patterns adorning its exterior — was occasionally repurposed as a jewelry box.
Antique and vintage cigar boxes — made of wood, metal or other materials — are valuable treasures in some corners of the collecting world, and in your home, they’re exquisite desk ornaments and colorful flourishes to add to your bookcase or mantel. On 1stDibs, find a variety of antique and vintage cigar boxes and other decorative boxes today.
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