Churchill's cigar sells for £4,500

A cigar which Sir Winston Churchill left unfinished in 1941 has fetched £4,500 at a sale.

Auctioneers Keys, of Aylsham, Norfolk, said Sir Winston abandoned the stub to attend a cabinet meeting.

It was picked up by a Downing Street valet who sent it to a friend with a note jotted on Number 10 writing paper, said auction staff.

The friend kept the souvenir until his death then the cigar passed to a relative.

Keys said the stub – nearly four inches long – was bought by a private collector at the sale.

A spokeswoman said the cigar was expected to fetch around £350.

In November, a butter dish used as an ashtray by Sir Winston fetched £4,200.

Source: Press Association