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The enormous supply of different cigar bands available in the early 1900s also meant that they were an abundant and inexpensive raw material for use in "folk art". Cigar bands were often used in collage and decoupage to decorate a wide variety of items, especially glassware. Glass ashtrays, plates, vases, bottles, and bowls were the most common, but other items such as humidors, wooden boxes, and furniture were also used. |
| Several companies in the early 1900s sold hobby kits complete with an undecorated glass dish, ashtray or plate, a supply of cigar bands, adhesive, and instructions on how to create your own masterpiece. Presidential series were popular choices. Similar hobby kits were common in Europe even more recently. | 
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As with most folk art, the attractiveness of such items varies greatly, depending on the aesthetic sense and craftsmanship of the individuals that made them. As collectibles today, their value is determined primarily by their condition and secondarily by the relative skillfulness of the craftwork. |
| Cigar band-decorated plates and dishes frequently incorporated small photographs or pictures of scenery, family members, pets, or famous people. They were often given as inexpensive handmade gifts or commemorative mementos. |
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Cigar band folk art items are still found quite often today in antique stores, estate sales, flea markets, auctions, etc. Their value depends upon the price a buyer is willing to pay and has little to do with the bands themselves because the value of the bands is essentially indistinguishable from the object to which they have been affixed. |
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