A cigar that Sir Winston Churchill smoked over 80 years ago was discovered in a glass jar and will be auctioned off.
The wartime British prime minister presented the “iconic piece of memorabilia” to a consul general in Rabat, Morocco.
After a dinner party Hugh Stonehewer-Bird threw for Sir Winston on August 29, 1944, Sir Winston handed Hugh the cigar, which he kept in a glass jar.
The cigar was loved by the consul general until his passing in 1973, according to Mr. Stonehewer-Bird’s family, and now his heirs have decided it is time to sell it.
On June 16, Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire will put it up for auction with a suggested bid range of £600 to £900.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “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.
“Churchill was renowned for his love of cigars and occasionally gave them as gifts to people who had helped him in any way.
“People went to great lengths to preserve them for posterity and, in this case, a glass jar has done an excellent job for 79 years.
“The original handwritten label provides the provenance collectors like.
“We hope this item will excel under the hammer.”
Churchill – who was prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955 – died in January 1965, aged 90. He is one of just three British political leaders who have been given a state funeral.