Buying Cigars as a Collector

Most cigar smokers start by buying the occasional single stick and smoking it shortly after purchase.

After doing this for some time, they may graduate to buying a small humidor, and then purchasing a box or two to always have cigars on hand, or perhaps to take advantage of a good price by buying in bulk.

At some point, someone will mention that cigars can improve with age, and hearing that a young smoker might buy a box or two of something special with a plan to put it away for a few years and let it develop.

It is a slippery slope from here into the realm of obsession and being a collector.

Cuban cigars have always been collectable to some extent. Since the 1980s, every box has been stamped with a date and factory code. These were introduced for internal quality control purposes in Cuba, but the inadvertent result was a market of collectors who would seek out cigars rolled in the same month as an anniversary, or what they believed was an especially good production run at their favourite factory.

Things really kicked off in the year 2000, when Habanos S.A. released the first of the Limited Edition series. These boxes are released in one particular year, in a size not normally available. Although the boxes are not numbered, it is thought that about 250,000 sticks are produced in any given size. Once they are gone, they are gone, and prices on the secondary market quickly begin to increase. While in the primary market, they are generally available in sufficient quantity that anybody can obtain them from any specialist retailer.

A more advanced challenge for the true collector is the Regional Edition Series, which began in 2006. These cigars are unique sizes released in an even smaller quantity (usually around 50,000 to 100,000 sticks) and are available only in a particular region of the world. Many countries have laws that prohibit online sales or shipping tobacco via mail, so to seriously approach a collection of Regional Editions requires extensive travel or a network of international contacts who can procure them for you. As a result, hard to find cigars, like those from Italy for example, which has both a history of producing very desirable releases, as well as a prohibition on online sales and shipping, will usually be available on international auction websites at double or more their retail prices, immediately upon release.

Beyond those, there are many lines for the well-heeled, like the Habanos Collection, which are very large cigars in special, book-shaped humidors, of which generally 3,000 pieces are produced worldwide. In recent years, these have a recommended retail price in the $4,000 US range. Most specialists will carry a few examples of these, although longstanding and high-spending clients are likely to get access to them before they ever see store shelves.

Reserva and Grand Reserva cigars are the same sizes as regular production sticks but use the very best grade of quality aged tobacco. Like the Habanos Collection, they are produced in enough volume (5,000 pieces) and at a price point where most specialists will buy some for stock, and so they are probably obtainable by anybody who seeks one out, but it’s better to be on a waitlist. These cigars are also generally obtainable at auction, even long after their release.

The pinnacle of collectable cigars are the commemorative humidors. One of these is produced each year, normally to mark the anniversary of a major brand. They usually contain one hundred cigars or more, and around five hundred pieces are produced worldwide. At one time, these were usually priced around $10,000 US, but in recent years the luxury craftsmanship that goes into these items has dramatically increased, as has their price point. These days they often have a wholesale price in excess of $100,000 US. This is too expensive for most retailers to carry as stock, so interested parties will likely need to arrange a purchase with their retailer ahead of the release. When these items change hands on the secondary market, it is sometimes as the centrepiece of an auction, but more often private deals are arranged by brokers who move in these circles.

Of course, beyond the pinnacle there is always a higher pinnacle. Each year at the Habanos Festival in Cuba, half a dozen humidors are auctioned for the benefit of the Cuban medical system. They are giant one-off art pieces, containing upwards of 500 cigars, often in custom sizes. Prices for these start at about million euros, with the 2024 Cohiba humidor setting a record at €4.5 million.

Of course, for a truly obsessed collector, there will always be something more to hunt down. There are thousands of different models that were available prior to the Cuban Revolution, the details of which are mainly lost to history, but which still change hands in certain circles. There are various sought after custom rolls from famous Cuban house rollers. There are private commissions of many kinds, and even the non-Cuban industry, which was never traditionally thought of as being collectable, has been releasing more and more higher end and limited cigars of late.

Happy hunting!