WHAT: When Winston Churchill’s half-smoked cigar brought $12,162 in a sale of Fine Autographs and Artifacts at RR Auction this month, we suspect the buy was a trophy capture by an avid collector. What a great addition for a collection of Churchill memorabilia!
MORE: Credit Corporal William Alan Turner, a sharp-thinking cabin crew member of the plane that brought Churchill and his wife to Le Bourget Airport in Paris in May 1947 for the souvenir. The British leader was to receive the Medaille Militaire, France’s high military honor.
Keeping the cigar end after Churchill stubbed it out in an ashtray before he boarded the plane for his return flight, the crew member also later made pencil notes on photos he took on-site.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Collectors who follow a celebrity, a popular or well-known figure important in films, the arts, history, etc., go for anything directly linked to that person. The photo with this column, showing the subject holding the sold item is A-1 direct. The signature on the photo is another big plus.
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FYI: Notoriety sells, too, but demand is less robust.
HOT TIP: The half-consumed cigar measures 4 inches long. Note the La Corona/Winston Churchill cigar band still intact.
BOTTOM LINE: Two scrapbook pages with 19 candids Turner took on the tarmac accompanied the cigar, along with a circa 1949 letter from Churchill’s secretary, transmitting the signed photo to the crew member. More documentation equals a solid result.
