It wasn’t until the Revenue Act of 1864 that all cigars were required to be packed in boxes, and in 1865, President Lincoln enacted a law that required they be packed in bundles of 25, 50, 100, or 250. Shortly thereafter, cigars became cheaper and more available, and many of the boxes that they came in are considered collectible items today.

Although the majority of cigar boxes were made of wood, examples can be found in numerous other materials, such as glass, plastic, aluminum, brass, tin, and china. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, from intricately carved and decorated wooden chests to cardboard boxes with bold, attention-grabbing advertising text.

The most common type of cigar box is known as "Nailed Wood" (some collectors shorten this to simply "NW"), which is made up of six pieces of wood nailed together, most often allo...

Novelty cigar boxes are also highly collectible, and some were designed in such a way that they had other uses after being emptied—for example, during the Depression, companies offered cigar boxes that could later be used as jewelry boxes. Others were made into tramp art by local carvers.

Cigar boxes were sometimes designed in fun shapes to catch the attention of potential buyers. These include cigar boxes in the shape of log cabins, cars and buses, bottles, books, and trunks, as well as those that can be used as checkers or backgammon boards.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Expand to read the full article ▼

Interviews & Articles

The Blues Rocker's New Secret Weapon? An Electric Cigar Box Guitar

Johnny Lowe of Memphis, Tennessee, makes guitars out of cigar boxes, furniture, and other recycled objects. These humble-looking i… [more]

Cigar Memorabilia Is Still Smoking

Tony Hyman has been collecting cigar boxes since he was 12. The National Cigar Museum has been open for 10 to 12 years in va… [more]

Where There's Smoke There's a Vintage Cigarette Lighter

At the very beginning, my interest in lighters was about the mechanism. I had my first lighter when I was 14. I saved up my nickel… [more]

Collecting Vintage Cigarette Lighters

Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minutes, for example, I rec… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Hyman's National Cigar Museum

Hyman's National Cigar Museum

A treasure trove of information about cigars and cigar ephemera, this site is a must-see for any tobacciana collect… [read review or visit site]

Match World

Match World

This ambitious site showcases the 20,000-item Rankei Library matchbook collection, owned by the Japan Match Manufac… [read review or visit site]

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Don Wearmouth and his wife showcase the 230 beautiful silk designs that were distributed free with Kensitas cigaret… [read review or visit site]

Matchbox Labels

Matchbox Labels

Jane McDevitt's huge Flickr photoset of matchbox labels, primarily Eastern European, from the 1950s and 60s. These … [read review or visit site]

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising

This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]

Matchbook Museum

Matchbook Museum

James Lileks' gallery of 400 matchbooks from coffee shops, hotels, motels, bars, banks, restaurants and more. Lilek… [read review or visit site]



Clubs & Associations: Tobacciana

Other Great Reference Sites: Tobacciana

Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 104 by  highest bidmost watchedcompleted
Antique Victorian Coromandel Wood And Sterling Silver Cigar Box C/o Searle & Co.Alden Cigar Horween Shell Cordovan Oxford Hampton Last 10d Incl. Box, ShoetreesVery Rare Wavecrest Cigar Band Crystal Box -. Portrait BandsDon Ramon Partagas 150 Signature Series Cigar Box/humidor W/ 2 CigarsLarge Antique Sterling Silver Cigar Box 1897 By W F W, J C Vickery 711 GramsAnother Beautiful Copper Resonator Cigar Box Guitar With Hand Wound Hummbucker!Rare Antique Silver Novelty Enamelled Cigar Box Vesta Florida Keys Mi FavoritaNice Vintage Large Engine Turned Solid Silver Footed Cigarette/cigar Box 544gLovely Large Vintage Solid Silver Engine Turned Cigarette/cigar Box 513g N/scrapOutstanding Large Sterling Silver Cigar/jewel Box With Enamel Crest To Lid.Cigar Box Guitar/parlor/tenor/slide/volume And ToneVintage Cigar Box Violin/fiddle Tramp Art Primitive Instrument. Very Neat!!Hgr Little African (1890-controversial Design) Antique Cigar Box LabelWeeklyhouse Cigar Box Guitar 3 String Fretted-- Watch A Video Demo! Drew EstateDominus #2 Electric Cigar Box Guitar. Very Sharp Looking!! Sounds Great!!Weeklyhouse Cigar Box Guitar 4 String Fretted Lost City Watch A Video DemoWeeklyhouse Cigar Box Guitar 3 String Fretted Cohiba Watch A Video Demo!!!!Lamborghini Cigar Box W/ Decorative BoxJapanese Maki-e Lacquer Edo Period Faux Tortoiseshell Box Etui Cigar Case One Of A Kind Right Handed M.a.d.man Acoustic / Electric Cigar Box Guitar!!! 4 String Fretted Cigar Box Guitar Neck, Maple/rosewood Airline/supro HeadstockCigar Box Lot Aurora T-jet Afx Tyco Chassis Estate BuySample Inner Cigar Box Label - Hearts - Geo. Schlegel - Cupid Delivers ValentineSample Inner Cigar Box Label - The Kid - Geo. Schlegel - Cowboy Smokes CigarIroquois Wood Cigar Box Indian Chief Brave Feather Head Dress Flint MichiganCigar Box Style Wrigley's Tin Guitar, Fretless Slide, 3 StringsWinchester Usa '94 Bone Large Cigar Knife 2-bld W18 29104 Unused In Box 16Cigar Box Guitar 3 String Full Fretted Acoustic/electric Padron BoxWooden Cigar Box - W/ Edwin Booth Label Pr 1901 Stamp, John Wilkes Booth BrotherGently Used Burlwood Humidor Cigar Box By: DunhillHumidor Supreme_wood Cigar Box_executive_bonus Cigar Cutter_leather Cigar PouchCigarros Chicamocha Colombia Factory Sealed Unopened Cigar Box X10 CubitasViaje Skull And Bones Big Ivan Red Brown Black Le Empty Cigar Box Very Rare Nr Guerilla Original Cigar Box Pochade/easel Vintage Nude Figure Cherub Brass Cigar Table Lighter Refillable Music Box Combo Vintage Westminster Cigar Box Wood Dovetailed 1959 Jack Schwartz Chicago DreamsAntique Cigar Box The Golden Age Henrietta 1890s First Dist. Pa Fac # 244 Label Sample Inner Cigar Box Label - El Kairo - Geo. Schlegel - Egyptian Street SceneSample Inner Cigar Box Label - La Masque - Geo. Schlegel - Masquerade BallRomeo Y Julieta Cigar Box Limitada - Prominente (empty Box)Antique Hand Carved Wooden Box Desk Tidy Jewelley Stationary Cigar Case StorageCigar Box Top With Pinafore Label, C1880s Harris Design H.m.s.pinaforeDeluxe Cigar Box Of U.s. Coins & Collections! #5Vintage Pfeilring Solingen Cigar Cutter W/box - German/germany Rare Factory Sealed Unopened Cigar Box Cigarros Puyana Colombia X5 BelicososHandmade Cigar Box Ukulele 4 StringCao Gold Wood Cigar Box Lot Qty 10Vintage Wooden Cigar Box Prize Game "cock O The Walk" Chicken Rooster Game BirdSuper Coin Lot Of All Diff. Coins/dates Packed In Great Cigar Box !Light Or Unfinished Appearing Wooden Cigar Boxes Purses Crafts Gift Jewelry BoxPadron Amoroso & More Tan Wooden Cigar Boxes Purses Crafts Gift Jewelry BoxQuality U.s.coins Packed In A Great Cigar Box ! (b)Kottonmouth Kings Clear Cigarette Rolling Papers!!! King Cigar Size BoxDon Tomas Slide Top Wood Cigar Box Lot Qty 8Quality U.s.coins Packed In A Great Cigar Box ! (b)Antique Cigar Box Circa 1898 - 1907 Pre Cuban Revolution Ban Havana Tobacco Co. Antique Spearhead Dovetail Box American Chewing Tobacco Cigar Co. Store DisplayGentleman's Oak Glass-topped Cigar Box - AntiqueAntique Indian Kashmir Lacquer Cigar Case Storage Box, India, 19th CenturyLarge Wooden Empty Cigar Box - H.upmann / H-bana 20"x8" Vgc