The Cigar Blog
Che Guevara’s personal cigar box up for auction
Feb
His face is seen adorned on bedroom walls, t-shirts and wall murals and has had several big budget movies made about his life. Che Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary from Argentina was a key part in the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s and was almost as famous for his love of Cuban cigars.
At Ludlow Racecourse on March 1st, an auction held by Mullock’s Auctioneers will see a cigar box owned by the Cuban Revolutionary go under the hammer.
The cigar box, presented to Che as an official gift from Cuban government officers on his birthday in June, 1963 is expected to go for between £10,000 and £12,000. The box is inscribed with a burned effect on the inside, stating “To the Minister of Industry Commandant Ernesto Guevara of the Sema – CHE – We wish you much happiness on your birthday.”
Ben Jones, consultant with Mullocks auctioneers, said: “We are extremely excited to be able to offer this truly fantastic piece of memorabilia, to our knowledge this is the first time that one of Che’s personal possessions has been offered for sale. Items relating to this period of Cuban history rarely appear on the market. We have only handled one Che Guevara signed photo in the last 10 years.”
The box obviously meant a lot to the Marxist leader as it has an official “received” stamp, with Che’s written signature, alongside the inscription.
Che often advised guerrilla fighters to include tobacco among the few and precious items in their backpack, “because a smoke in times of rest is a great companion to the solitary soldier.”
We also know how a fine cigar can act as a great companion, so head over to Havana House and buy cigars online at the click of a button.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Sir Winston Churchill’s chewed cigar sells at auction
Five cigars for new cigar smokers
Photo by: Alberto Korda
