Most Expensive Cigars

If you're looking for a quick way to make your money go up in smoke, cigars may be just the ticket. Often considered a luxury item, cigars can reach premium prices with the right buyer. There is something a bit intriguing about owning an amalgamation of leaves, rolled into a tidy bundle for your nicotine-induced pleasure.

The history of the cigar is still shrouded in mystery, but more and more evidence points to the ancient Mayans as the inventors of this modern day vice. A pot dating to around the 10th century depicts a person smoking a bundle of leaves, with the Mayan work "sicar" written on the side. This word literally translates to "smoking rolled tobacco leaves." A large cache of ancient cigars was also found in Guatamala, proving that Columbus's accounts of the peoples of the Americas smoking were most likely very accurate. Spoiler Alert: Read #1 for more information on these fascinating pieces of pre-Columbian history.

Cuban cigars are famed to be the best of the best. Something about the growing conditions, aging and assembly makes these bad boys more desirable than almost any other cigar in the world. It seems not a single image of Castro was taken without a cigar in his or someone else's mouth. With the newly-lifted U.S. embargos, Americans are likely to see a much larger number of these premium cigars filtering into the country in the coming years. No more sneaking them in past customs!

So, just how much can these rich man's cigarettes sell for? We have put together a list of some the most pricy cigars on record. Read on to find out which ones top over a half-million dollars.

9. Fuente Don Arturo AnniverXario: $7,500/box

These limited-release, 100th Anniversary cigars are nothing to sneeze at, costing just under $80 a piece. What apparently makes these cigars so special is the aged tobacco with which they're made - 7 years old, to be precise. They're nestled in a humidor containing 96 pieces, with two alternating wrappers divided between them for some visual punch.

8. King of Denmark: $8,500/box

A Danish cigar, these costly smokes normally cost $150 each. Only 30 of these are produced per day, using their top-of-the-line Regal Blend tobacco. Each cigar is blingy and bright, with Swarovski crystals and am embossed gold foil, personalized wrapper. What can make the price skyrocket to a mind-boggling $8,500? The personalized, super-fancy humidor they come in. This box is carefully crafted, personalized, then embellished with a 24-karat gold plated sterling silver crown. This is a cigar that really is ALL ABOUT YOU.

7. Gurkha His Majesty's Reserve: $15,000/box

Considered some of the most posh cigars in the world, Gurkha didn't disappoint with these incredibly flavorful cigars. Made using 18-year-old tobaccos infused with the rare and exclusive Louis XIII Cognac and chocolate, each cigar will run you about $750. There are a total of 20 packed into a box, catapulting the box price to $15,000. Gurkha produces less than 100 boxes of this release each year, the president of the company himself deciding where they will be distributed to. Snobbery be thy name!

6. Cohiba Behike: $18,000/box

A 40th anniversary release in 2006, the Cuban maker of this cigar wanted to make something particularly special to celebrate the occasion. Although the cigar itself is not particularly special, what makes them so expensive is that they only made 100 humidors of 40 cigars each. They were so sought-after that the company started producing a less pricy version.

5. Arturo Fuente Opus X Ltd: $30,000/box

An anniversary release in 2003 to celebrate the 10th year of the original Opus X, these cigars got the royal treatment. The exquisitely banded cigars were housed in a total of 100 Forbidden X humidors, made of exotic woods such as red madrona, yellow eye maple and macassar. With 100 pieces per box, these cigars run $300 each.

4. Gurkha Black Dragon: $115,000/box

Rolled in Honduras from the best of the best tobaccos from around the work, this thick and potent cigar is incredibly hard to come by. 5 limited edition boxes were created from camel bone, then packed with 100 cigars each. When you do the math, that's $1,150 a piece. That's a month's rent for many people!

3. Gran Habano #5 El Gigante: $185,000/box

You have to be a true aficionado to make room for a giant, genuine cigar. This 19-foot long, 3-foot diameter stogie, made as a display, garnered the attention of an obviously very wealthy tobacco collector. He coughed up $185,000 for the honor of rolling this enormous, 1,600 lb cigar into his home. It is estimated that this piece is the equivalent of 25,000 regular cigars.

2. Double Corona Regius Cigars, Ltd: $54,000/each

If this isn't a blatant show of pretention, we don't know what is. These cigars are a limited-edition, but it's not the cigar that runs up the tab. A purchase of these cigars also includes a trip to the Nicaraguan factory, where the buyer can create their own cigar, after which a special run of 1,000 will be made, just for them. http://www.billionairesnewswire.com/worlds-best-cigars/3/

1. Mayan Sicars: $507,000/collection

More a collection of artifacts, these 600-year-old cigars were found in Mayan ruins. They were found to still be fit for human consumption, which led to a frenzied bidding war. For just over half-a-million, they were grabbed up by a tobacco enthusiast and owner of Santiago Cigar Factory, Gary Liotta. This is a rare find; hopefully he will preserve them for study.