History in a humidor

[Ken Gargett]

coming up for auction at Christies.

 

Witnesses to history: two despatch boxes, a deed box and a humidor that belonged to Winston Churchill

These items evoke key moments in Churchill’s career — from his role as First Lord of the Admiralty in the run-up to the First World War to his friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt, which helped decide the future of the free world

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Words by Harry Seymour

18 June 2026

 

Winston Churchill arrives at the Admiralty, London, on 3 September 1939, having been reinstalled as First Lord of the Admiralty by Neville Chamberlain. Eight months later, having replaced Chamberlain as prime minister, he would have had occasion to use this George VI gilt embossed black leather prime ministerial despatch box, circa 1940 (estimate: £70,000-100,000), offered in The Exceptional Sale: Masterworks Across Cultures on 30 June 2026 at Christie’s in London. Photo: Bettmann / Getty Images

On 30 June 2026 at Christie’s in London, The Exceptional Sale: Masterworks Across Cultures will offer two despatch boxes, a deed box and a humidor that are linked to Winston Churchill at some of the most defining moments of his career. These four extraordinary lots, which come from a single collection, chart the politician’s highs and lows, painting a picture of a life that indelibly shaped the history of Britain and contributed to the preservation of the free world.

Open image in gallery

 

The four objects offered span the highs and lows of Churchill’s political career from the early 1900s to the Second World War

A humidor gifted by Franklin D. Roosevelt, circa 1940-45

Following the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, America was propelled into the war. The 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, formed an alliance with Churchill that would become one of the most consequential partnerships in history. Just over a year later, at the Casablanca Conference, the pair agreed that nothing but the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers would end the war.

By 1944, following the Battle of Midway and the Guadalcanal campaign, the US forces were pushing back the Japanese in the Pacific. And in Europe, Operation Overlord in Normandy saw Allied soldiers retaking France. On 8 May 1945, Germany surrendered and victory was declared on the continent. On 2 September, almost a month after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan also formally surrendered.

Open link https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6591614

 

A Cuban amboyna, fruitwood, boxwood and ivorine inlaid humidor, circa 1940-45. Gifted to Prime Minister Winston Churchill by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 5 in (12.5 cm) high; 13½ in (34.3 cm) wide; 14½ in (47 cm) deep. Estimate: £25,000-40,000. Offered in The Exceptional Sale: Masterworks Across Cultures on 30 June 2026 at Christie’s in London

Open image in gallery

 

Churchill and Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference of January 1943, where it was agreed that only an unconditional surrender by the Axis powers could end the war. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty Images

Measuring about 34 by 47 centimetres, this wooden humidor is representative of the personal bond between Roosevelt and Churchill. It was gifted by the president to the prime minister — presumably filled with cigars — at some point before Roosevelt’s death on 12 April 1945, possibly during one of the decisive conferences held in Tehran in late 1943 or Yalta in early 1945. An inscription on the lid indicates that the humidor was originally given to Roosevelt by Fulgencio Batista, the president of Cuba, probably during his visit to visit to the White House in December 1942.

Churchill’s reign as prime minister also concluded just before the war’s end, on 26 July 1945, following a landslide defeat in a general election. For many, a war-time leader wasn’t suitable for an era of peace. He was re-elected for a second term between 1951 and 1955, however, and won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his ‘brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values’. In July 1964, aged 89, he stepped down as an MP and left politics. He died the following January, having smoked up to 10 cigars a day for 70 years.

[westg]

Thanks Ken 👍

[benfica_77]

Very cool. Thanks for posting, it was a great read. I must say it's a tad more expensive the expected auction price then your garbage bag travelling humidor that Rob speaks about. 

[IPORTER]

Excellent stuff! ❤️👏