One of Winston Churchill’s half-smoked cigars is to cross the block in the US.
The stogie is valued at more than $10,000 ahead of RR Auction’s memorabilia sale, which closes on October 11.
The lot includes a photograph of Churchill taken at the airfield
It’s a La Corona, the brand printed with Churchill’s name, and remains in exceptional condition.
Churchill stubbed it out just before getting on a plane at Le Bourget airport in Paris on May 11, 1947 – a moment captured in a photo taken by a Corporal William Turner.
Turner notes in the margin: “He is surrounded by French ex-servicemen with whom he had been chatting.
“He stubbed out his cigar in an ashtray when he came aboard, and I took the remains into protective custody."
Turner kept the cigar for many years afterwards. It passed down his family as an heirloom until it was sold earlier this year.
So is it likely to sell for as much as $10,000 this time around?
It seems unlikely as it sold for £1,700 ($2,255) at Hall’s Auctioneers in April. However, it is a particularly high quality example.
The record stands at £4,500 ($5,966), set for a specimen from 1941 in 2010.
Note the date on that second result. Memorabilia associated with Churchill’s war years tends to be much more in demand than items from his post-war career.
Check out this stunning piece of signed Churchill memorabilia we’re offering.
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