Antiques Roadshow guest gasps after eye-watering valuation of famous cigar

Antiques Roadshow guest reveals cigar that belonged to Churchill

A guest on Antiques Roadshow was left flabbergasted after learning an old cigar was worth thousands – thanks to its famous previous owner.

Sunday evening’s episode of the popular BBC antiques programme saw a guest bring on a cigar owned by former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.

She met with expert Mark Smith to have her late French father-in-law’s Second World War medals valued.

However, she lacked the proper certification and was disappointed to discover they were only worth £120.

But hidden inside a tube was another important piece of WWII memorabilia – a cigar that belonged to one of the country’s most famous Prime Ministers.

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“As you can see, it’s addressed to Morris [her father-in-law] from Mr Churchill,” the guest explained before removing the cigar from the tube.

Showing further proof that it did, in fact, belong to Churchill, the guest revealed a newspaper clipping that was stored with it.

Incredibly, much to the amazement of expert Mark, it explained that when Churchill met a group of French soldiers, he “called for champagne and gave each member of the delegation one of his famous cigars”.

Looking stunned while reading it, Mark replied: “You actually have one of [Churchill’s] cigars. Isn’t this fantastic?”

Mark then revealed the eye-watering value of the cigar, which was a sizeable £2,000.

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The valuation left the owner astonished. She gasped: “No, really? Because it’s supported by the newspaper article?”

Mark added: “And because [Churchill’s] cigars are so iconic and people just want to own one of them.”

Churchill served as Conservative Prime Minister twice – from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955.

He was synonymous with cigars and once famously said: “I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form.”

It’s not the first time that his belongings have ended up on Antiques Roadshow.

In 2019, Churchill’s top hat and cigar were featured on the show after being discovered in a rubbish tip.

A guest presented the famous hat, a cigar, a cigar case and more than 200 letters from Churchill’s cook to her son, in which she gave an insight into the wartime leader’s life. The items were valued at a staggering £10,000.

Antiques Roadshow continues on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One.

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