Winston Churchill's partly-smoked cigar to go up for auction

The Churchill cigar, the letter from 10 Downing Street, and a newspaper cutting relating to the night it was found, on display at Hansons. [Photo: VCG]

A partly-smoked cigar believed to have been discarded by Britain's legend Prime Minister Winston Churchill will go up for auction in December with an opening bid of 6,000 British pounds (around 7,336 U.S. dollars) by the auctioneers Hansons.

An archive photo of Winston Churchill having a cigar on his Chartwell estate. [Photo: VCG]

The cigar was found by Violet King, an usherette at the London Coliseum, in January 1953, according to her nephew Julian Lewis. King picked up the cigar after she saw Churchill drop it on the floor at the Coliseum during the film premier of the American musical "Call Me Madam".

Lewis said his aunt was so excited by her political keepsake that she wrote to 10 Downing Street to gain the prime minister's permission to tell her friends about it. The prime minister's secretary replied to her request, saying that Churchill "had of course, no objection to you telling your friends that the cigar you found is his and much appreciates your goodwill."

The Churchill cigar, the letter from 10 Downing Street, and a newspaper cutting relating to the night it was found, on display at Hansons. [Photo: VCG]

Hansons said the high guide price of cigar is due to its "rock solid provenance" and good condition.