Cigars were in their heyday in the period between 1870 & 1930. During this time, more than 15,000 cigar manufacturers were making over 350,000 different cigar brands. At this time in the U.S., less than 55% of the public could read, so in order to instill brand loyalty in their customers, cigar companies outdid each other with intricate, expensive and often humerous cigar labels on the cigar boxes. Like the cigar band, the label was also a way to deter bootleggers.