Light them on the beaches? Winston Churchill cigar box is expected to fetch £10,000 at auction after being discovered during a valuation

• Cigar case with Churchill's name stamped on the lid listed for £10,000 at auction
• Case contains a mother of penknife and cigars gifted from Cuba and Denmark
• Auctioneer spotted the art deco rosewood box on a shelf while at a Devon homeHe was a prolific cigar smoker whose discarded butts have fetched thousands of pounds at auction.

  And now a cigar case once owned by Sir Winston Churchill is for sale at £10,000.

  Auctioneer Julian Smith discovered the art deco rosewood box on a shelf in a Devon home during a valuation.

  Inside, Churchill’s name is stamped on the lid and inscribed on a mother of pearl penknife used for trimming cigars. 

  

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  A cigar box stamped with Sir Winston Churchill's name, with a penknife also inscribed with his title is set to fetch £10,000 at auction

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  Churchill's discarded cigar ends have fetched thousands of pounds at auction, but now a box containing cigars gifted to the former PM has gone up for sale

  ‘The vendor bought it for her father as a gift 15 years ago but he has since died and left it for her husband.

  ‘They are selling it now as they are downsizing.’

  Guy Schwinge, partner at Duke’s, said: ‘This really is an incredible find. Churchill is probably the most famous cigar smoker of the 20th century.

  ‘He rarely was depicted without a cigar in hand, and the fact that he gave this box to his personal valet gives it even greater resonance.

  

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  A penknife, which can be used for cutting the ends of cigars comes with the box and is inscried with Churchill's names and middle initials ‘It is incredible difficult to value a unique object like this but it would not surprise me if our estimate of between £5,000 to £10,000 ended up looking rather parsimonious.

  ‘After all, Churchill’s discarded cigar butts have been known to fetch thousands!’

  The sale takes place on Thursday.