A cigar box is a

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

container for cigar packaging. Traditionally cigar boxes have been made of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

. Spanish cedar has been described as the "best" kind of wood for cigar boxes because of its beautiful grain, fine texture, and pleasant odor and ability to keep out insects. Eucalyptus and yellow poplar have been popular substitutes that were sometimes stained and scented to resemble it. Other typical woods for cigar boxes include mahogany, elm, and white oak; less-popular are basswood,

Circassian walnut ''Juglans regia'', the Persian walnut, English walnut, Carpathian walnut, Madeira walnut, or especially in Great Britain, common walnut, is an Old World walnut tree species native to the region stretching from the Balkans eastward to the Himalay ...

, and rosewood. There are several types of cigar boxes, differing both in construction and purpose. The following are common boxes: *

Cabinet selection Cabinet selection is a term for cigars purchased in a large, square, plain Spanish cedar cigar box called a ''cabinet box'', a ''slide-lid box'' or ''SLB'', or simply a ''cabinet''. It usually has a wooden slide-lid, although hinged lids are ...

, slid-lid or hinged lid, typically storing 25 or 50 cigars *8-9-8, round-sided box with three layers, counting 8, 9 and 8 cigars respectively. *Flat top or 13-topper, two layers with 12 on bottom and 13 on top *Boxes of box-pressed cigars, stored two layers with same number of cigars. Cigar boxes, labels, and bands are considered a subject of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, with businesses specializing in them and books printed on their design, meaning, and significance. As a result, cigar boxes and their corresponding labels can be considered collectible items. There is a growing movement of guitars and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

s being made from cigar boxes and other materials not usually used for musical instruments.

Media

Image:R J short churchills.jpg, A hinged-lid flat top box of

box-pressed Box-pressed (or ''square-pressed'') cigars are usually packed in two layers in a wide flat cigar box that has an attached flip or hinged lid, and is usually made of paper-covered wood or cardboard (as opposed to a plain-wood cabinet). The sides of ...

cigars Image:Cigar box guitar collection.jpg,

Cigar box guitar The cigar box guitar is a simple chordophone that uses an empty cigar box as a resonator. The earliest had one or two strings; modern models typically have three or more. Generally, the strings are connected to the end of a broomstick or a 1×2 ...

collection Image:Cigar box.jpg, Cigar box with

cigar case A cigar case is a carrier for carrying cigars. The key aspect of a cigar case is its portability, and ease of carrying cigars in jacket pockets, etc. Over the years cigar cases have evolved from a simple wooden carrier to a luxurious tote, fully ce ...

s Image:Bloomer-Club-cigars-satire-p-adv054.JPG, An example of cigar label art

References

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External links

The Canadian Museum of Civilization - Cigar Containers that Store Our Past 1883-1935
Cigars Containers Tobacciana fr:Boîte à cigare it:Cigar box ja:シガーボックス zh:雪茄盒