Cigar Boxes and Humidors
20th Century George III Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Satinwood
2010s Mexican Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bronze
Early 20th Century British Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Shagreen
Late 19th Century German Black Forest Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Metal
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver, Sterling Silver
19th Century British Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
Early 1900s Austrian Other Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver, Enamel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Marble
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bronze
Early 20th Century Austrian American Classical Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Ceramic
20th Century British Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Walnut
20th Century Norwegian Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century Japanese Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver Plate
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Wood, Maple
2010s British Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Sycamore, Walnut
Early 20th Century British Art Nouveau Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Metal
Early 1900s Italian Art Deco Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver, Enamel
20th Century Italian Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Metal
Early 1900s French Late Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Hardwood
1980s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Chrome
Late 19th Century Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Pottery
2010s Italian Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Nutwood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Chrome
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Mid-19th Century British Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Glass, Oak
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bronze
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bakelite, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Macedonian Minimalist Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Walnut
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Brass
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Brass, Ormolu
19th Century British Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Pine
19th Century Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bone, Wood
20th Century British Campaign Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Brass
Early 1900s Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Sterling Silver, Silver
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bakelite, Wood
1920s British Victorian Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Wood
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Metal
1860s English Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Oak, Cedar
19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Pewter
1910s British Vintage Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Sterling Silver
1880s British Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
1990s Dominican Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Wood, Paint
1890s British Late Victorian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Crocodile
Early 1900s English Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Wood
20th Century French Modern Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Crystal
Early 20th Century Swedish Empire Revival Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Ormolu
20th Century English Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Sterling Silver
20th Century Japanese Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
20th Century British Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Lapis Lazuli, Sterling Silver
19th Century Indian Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Bronze
20th Century British Cigar Boxes and Humidors
Silver
Antique Cigar Boxes and Humidors
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.