Che what? Cigar box sells for £12,000, as Hitler's cufflinks bring in £1,600 at Shropshire auction
Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was never seen without a cigar. Now the box where he kept his favourite smokes has sold for £12,000 – right here in Shropshire.
It was the star lot at an auction of toys, collectables and historical ephemera held by Mullock's auctioneers at Ludlow Racecourse yesterday.
The box was sold by a private collector, who also happens to be a friend of one of the revolutionary's sons.
Ben Jones, consultant with Mullock's, said it had made the top end of what it was valued at in the catalogue, but he was hoping it might make even more as it is so rare to see personal items from Che Guevara, or from the Cuban revolution, up at auction.
"There was a lot of interest but I thought it was going to go for more if I'm honest. It all come down to the day," he said.
A book on the Natural History of English Insects from 1720 sold for £2,700, a set of Hitler's cufflinks went for £1,600 and a complete Man From Uncle briefcase play set full of spy gadgets to do with the 1960s TV show went for £500.
