Blast from the past

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

WINSTON CHURCHILL (1874 - 1965) British Prime Minister who led England through the Blitz and orchestrated the British liberation of occupied Europe and Germany. Churchill is today considered perhaps the greatest statesman of this century. An wonderful relic utterly representative of the great statesman, a Cuban 'La Aroma de Cuba' cigar offered to Liberal Parliamentary Deputy-Speaker Roderic Brown, QC during a luncheon party held by Prime Minister Churchill at 10 Downing Street on December 21, 1954. The 6 3/8 in. cigar, approx. 42 gauge with candella wrapper and remaining tightly-wrapped, is still in the original, remains in its original cellophane wrapper. It is contained within Churchill's blue cardboard faux leather cardboard five-cigar adjustable box bearing the gold imprint of tobacconists 'T. B. Carlin Ltd.' of 13 Park Place, London. Presumably, Churchill had already smoked the other cigars, handing the case and remaining cigar to Brown for his enjoyment. The cigar is accompanied by a copy of Bowen's September 14, 1998 letter of provenance. 'La Aroma' and the better known 'Romeo y Julieta' were Churchill's favorite cigar brands. Incredibly, this cigar and case were tied-up at Sotheby's, London for 17 years due to the American embargo on the importation of Cuban products...or so Sotheby's thought. It was originally purchased in 1999 and was not delivered to its American buyer until 2016 when President Obama lifted the embargo. In actuality, the cigar is pre-embargo and could have shipped at any time.