What’s better than a half-smoked cigar from former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill?
How about a never-smoked stick and the statesman’s cigar case stamped “By Appointment Cigar Merchants To H.M. The King.”
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Following reports that a British auction house hopes to get over $1,100 for a stogie half-smoked by Churchill, Maryland-based Alexander Historical Auctions told Secrets that it is putting up for auction the unsmoked pre-embargo Cuban cigar and Churchill’s blue case.
“The 6 3/8 in. cigar, approx. 42 gauge with candela wrapper and remaining tightly wrapped, still in its original cellophane wrapper,” Alexander President Bill Panagopulos said in his write-up of the package set for an online auction on June 16.
“It is contained within Churchill’s blue cardboard faux leather cardboard five-cigar adjustable box bearing the gold imprint of tobacconists ‘T. B. Carlin Ltd.’ of 13 Park Place, London. Presumably, Churchill had already smoked the other cigars,” he added.
It should bring $4,000-$5,000. The opening bid is $2,000.
Besides leading his country to victory against the Nazis in World War II, Churchill is most known for his speeches and cigars. One half-smoked stick sold for $12,000 in 2018.
The cigar and case have a bit of history behind them. According to Panagopulos, Churchill gave it to Liberal Parliamentary Deputy-Speaker Roderic Brown during a luncheon at 10 Downing Street on Dec. 21, 1954.
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It was subsequently headed to the U.S. but got caught in customs because of the U.S. embargo on Cuban products. It only made it to the U.S. after then-President Barack Obama lifted the embargo.
“Incredibly, this cigar and case were tied-up at Sotheby’s, London for 17 years due to the American embargo on the importation of Cuban products, or so Sotheby’s thought. It was originally purchased in 1999 and was not delivered to its American buyer until 2016 when President Obama lifted the embargo. In actuality, the cigar is pre-embargo and could have shipped at any time,” said the Alexander description.
