Churchill could never have imagined that a partly-smoked cigar he discarded in an ash 
tray at Chequers Court more than 50 years ago would end up being offered for sale in a fine art auction. And the 12cm weed is expected to sell for up to £120.
I have no idea who has offered it for sale, or how it came to be in his/her possession. Why wasn’t it thrown out in the bin? Why was such a large amount discarded by the statesman? Was Churchill interrupted from his smoke by important business? Did he intend to re-light it later, only to discover it had been swiped by someone with an eye to profiteering? Do you regard it as an object d’art?
It comes with a typed note saying it was taken out of an ashtray at Chequers Court on February 21 1953; the auctioneers say they don’t have any corroborative evidence, but there’s seemingly no reason to doubt it.
I think I’ll wait for one of Maggie’s handbags to come under the auctioneer’s hammer!
i suppose a HUGE Churchill fan would bid for his germy old stogie. i don’t care one way or the other….i suppose it could be seen as an object d’art, ‘specially if it came with an ashtray from the same period…but, in the larger scheme of things, it does not hold any charm as far as i am concerned…but there is no accounting for taste or interest….i love empty boxes, all shapes and sizes…and on THAT note i would be more interested in the BOX that the cigars came in! hah hah…
Dragonflyfilly, I imagine there are quite a few Churchill fans, but I would still be concerned about its authentiticy.
Churchill never smoked his cigars more than halfway down, as he thought that they became too acrid after that point.
You can see another example of a half-smoked Churchill stogie on display in the Cabinet War Rooms.
Jeremy. Churchill must have got through quite a few in a day if he had a few puffs and then stubbed it out. I didn’t realise there was one in the Cabinet War Rooms too, it is obviously quite a colectable item for some.
Ellee, you are obviously not one of those delectable lady cigar smokers, or you would know that a cigar is never stubbed out but just to left to expire in the ashtray. Churchill smoked Romeo y Julieta Churchills, which are 7 inches long – so even if he smoked only half a cigar, that still represents quite a few puffs. I’ve a couple of Churchills in my humidor right now, if you’d like to come round for a spot of in-depth research…
Jeremy, it sounds as if you are the UK’s expert on Churchill’s cigars. It doesn’t sound as if Churchill’s cigars expired as they were prematurely ended.
And yes, you are right, I am a non-smoker (I just smoulder instead!). Where did you acquire your Churchills from?
Ellee, just as we’re beginning to flirt, you ask a question like that! But I cannot tell a lie – it was my dear wife who very kindly brought them back after a foreign trip.
Jeremy, I’m delighted you have a “dear wife”, and I hope you truly appreciate her. Perhaps she would like to visit my blog too.
This cigar will sell for more than £120. If the providence is correct then it will be at least double that. An example is below:-
http://www.cigarblognetwork.com/?p=29
James, many thanks, that’s a really interesting link. All the auction needs is two people bidding against each other, one being American, and the price could easily soar.
It makes me wonder how many other half-finished cigars there are that people claimed with a view to selling on.