The author grew up in the small coal mining town of Aguilar, Colorado,
about 20 miles north of Trinidad. This part of the world was coal mining
country. I remember my grandfather smoking these cigars and using them
to light the fuses of powder charges. These cigars were used as the Shot-Fire's
ignitors. To further enhance the artistic value of the labels, many were
embossed. Embossing is to ornament with a pattern or design having a raised
surface. The embossing patterns were artistic and used intricate and detailed
designs. Gold leaf or bronze dust was pressed or shellacked to the label,
(La Lunda). The embossing used 40 ton presses. The embossed patterns
were replica of gold coins, floral and eccentric geometric designs. Labels
used all the enhancement techniques available to the graphic art. It was
all for "sell those cigars.".
Pricing of cigar labels is an art more than a science. Dealers publish
price guides for potential customers. Price guides are self serving but
give the collector a relative idea of a cigar label's worth. The experience
and knowledge of the dealer tends to set guidelines for selling labels.
Like most works of art, demand, availability and image themes set the price
standards. Label price can vary from a few dollars to hundreds. Collectors
have been known to spend thousands of dollars on rare or scarce labels.
Lime Kiln Club, depicting the Negro has been one with an increase
in its popular and price. Labels with negro themes are not common and limited
quantities are available.
The pickers, people who hunt for cigar labels, find every thing from the
one-of-a-kind to multi-bundles/stacks. Cigar label auctions have set a
new pricing trends. Many people are theme collectors, while other art lover.
I have noted a these auctions that when a particular themes comes up for
sale and the collector wants that particular item the sky is the limit
for what will be paid. It difficult to determine the motives for collectors
when materials are being auctioned. For example, baseball collectors are notorious
for paying high prices for baseball related items. Therefore, most baseball
labels bring a premium price when they are sold.
Grade or condition is important in collecting labels. Tears, wear, damage
or folds tend to minimize their value. The exception to this is in the
case of rare or scarce materials. There are different degrees of grading,
but most labels will fall into three categories,
mint - crisp paper, no folds, tears or damage
fine - small minor tears or slight corner folds
good - some damage, tears, signs of wear
The use of the stone lithography process dominated the labels market until
about the 1920's. As the demand for cigars declined, the high production
costs and time consuming labor caused the manufacturer to turn to offset
printing, better known as photo-mechanical process.
The off-set printing consists of the artist's drawing being photographed
and a plate made of the image. Probably the easiest way to differentiate
the two processes are by dots. The off-set images are created by a series
of black and colored dots on the paper. The distinct advantages of this
technique was saving of time and money. The cheaper labels were used to
minimize advertising costs. Many of these labels appear in the collectors
market were removed from the salesmen's sample books.
The
label to the right exemplifies the magnificent art-form that was created
for our enjoyment. Buying labels preserves and gives collector and art
lover a chance to own a piece history. These items are sought after by
numerous collectors and investors who have started to buy and promote cigar
label art. Cigar label art is gaining in popularity as their prices and
demands have been appreciating. For more examples of this art form, visit
the Antique Carta web site at http://www.antiquecarta.com/antiquecarta.
were
embossed. Embossing is to ornament with a pattern or design having a raised
surface. The embossing patterns were artistic and used intricate and detailed
designs. Gold leaf or bronze dust was pressed or shellacked to the label,
(La Lunda). The embossing used 40 ton presses. The embossed patterns
were replica of gold coins, floral and eccentric geometric designs. Labels
used all the enhancement techniques available to the graphic art. It was
all for "sell those cigars.".
notorious
for paying high prices for baseball related items. Therefore, most baseball
labels bring a premium price when they are sold.
The
label to the right exemplifies the magnificent art-form that was created
for our enjoyment. Buying labels preserves and gives collector and art
lover a chance to own a piece history. These items are sought after by
numerous collectors and investors who have started to buy and promote cigar
label art. Cigar label art is gaining in popularity as their prices and
demands have been appreciating. For more examples of this art form, visit
the Antique Carta web site at http://www.antiquecarta.com/antiquecarta.