The cigar has been preserved for nearly 80 years in a glass jar.
A cigar smoked by Sir Winston Churchill 80 years ago has been found in a glass jar and will be sold at auction. According to a report in Sky News, the half-smoked cigar was originally given to a consul general in Morocco’s Rabat in 1944 by Mr Churchill, who was Britain’s wartime Prime Minister. The family of the consul general Hugh Stonehewer-Bird said he treasured the cigar until his death in 1973 and now his relatives have decided it is time to sell it.
The memorabilia will be auctioned by Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers on June 16 and is expected to fetch 900 pounds (Rs 92,078).
“It’s amazing what turns up in glass jars. This is an iconic piece of memorabilia connected to one of Britain’s most famous prime ministers and the Second World War,” Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers, was quoted as saying by Sky News.
“Churchill was renowned for his love of cigars and occasionally gave them as gifts to people who had helped him in any way,” he added.
According to Metro, Mr Stonehewer-Bird died in 1973, the cigar was passed through the generations.
“My grandparents were great Churchill fans. They kept the cigar on display with a photo and quirky figure of Sir Winston, which are also being sold with the item,” she was quoted as saying by the outlet.
Mr Stonehewer-Bird also added a label on the jar, which states that the cigar was smoked by Winston Churchill at a dinner party given for him by the former consul general.
Mr Churchill, who was Britain’s Prime Minister twice – from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955 – died in January 1965, at the age of 90. He is just one of the three Prime Ministers who were given a state funeral.
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