Bizarre celebrity memorabilia sold, as Churchill's used cigar goes up for auction
A slice from Princess Diana and Prince Charles's wedding cake and an acrylic nail worn by Lady Gaga feature.
A cigar once used by former prime minister Winston Churchill will be put up for auction – where it is expected to be sold for up to £900.
The half-smoked cigar has been described as an “iconic piece of memorabilia” and was given to Hugh Stonehewer-Bird, who was a consul general in Rabat, Morocco in the 1940s.
Stonehewer-Bird kept the cigar, which he then preserved in a glass jar following the dinner party he hosted for Churchill in 1944.
The general’s relatives said he treasured the cigar until his death in 1973 and now his relatives have decided it’s time to sell it.
It’s not the first time an odd piece of celebrity memorabilia has been auctioned off to the highest bidder. In 2021, a slice of King Charles III and Lady Diana Spencer’s 1981 wedding cake sold for £1,850 at auction, while used chewing gum from Britney Spears was listed for £11,326 in 2004 on eBay.
Bizarre celebrity memorabilia sales
Lady Gaga’s acrylic nail
An acrylic nail worn by Lady Gaga was auctioned off for a cool £8,500 in 2013 after it was recovered by a stage crew member. The nail was worn by the singer at the launch of her Fame fragrance that past year and the black acrylic nail featured intricate gold embellishments.
Justin Timberlake’s French toast
At the peak of his NSync fame in 2000, Justin Timberlake chose not to eat two pieces of French toast, which were later auctioned off for $1,025 (£829). The toast was left behind by the singer after he finished a breakfast interview and was won by Kathy Summers, then 19, who said she would probably freeze-dry it, seal it, and put it on her dresser.
Justin Bieber’s lock of hair
Justin Bieber’s swishy hair made him the teenage heartthrob of the late 2000s, so it’s no surprise that a lock of his hair fetched a hefty amount at auction. When the then-17-year-old singer’s hair was put on eBay in 2011, it sold for $40,668 (£32,000). The hair was put in a box signed by Bieber himself and proceeds went to an animal rescue charity.
Scarlett Johansson’s used tissue
A tissue used by Scarlett Johansson sold for £3,600 in 2008 after being posted on eBay. The actress used the tissue when appearing on US talk show Tonight with Jay Leno who handed her the tissue. Johansson used the tissue to blow her nose twice, leaving lipstick and mucus on the tissue. She later signed the tissue and the proceeds of the auction went to hunger charity Harvest.
Elvis’s used underwear
A pair of Elvis’s stained underwear went up for auction in 2012 – but failed to sell. The underwear was worn at a 1977 show and kept by Elvis’s father Vernon before an auction house attempted to sell them for £10,000.
Britney Spears’ chewing gum
In 2004, there were over two dozen auctions on eBay flogging Britney Spears’ used chewing gum that they claimed had been spit out by the singer. One was even priced at $14,000 (£11,326).
Queen Victoria’s underwear
A pair of Queen Victoria’s pants sold for £12,090 at an auction in 2015. The cotton knickers had a 45 inch waistband and were sold alongside nightdresses, stockings, and hats once worn by the late royal. The knickers were bought by a private English collector who also bought other items of clothing.
Cara Delevingne’s vagina NFT
Model Cara Delevingne teamed up with artist Chemical X to create a one of a kind NFT (non-fungible token) of her vagina to raise money for her foundation. The model was taking private offers for the NFT so it is not known whether it was sold.
Charles and Diana’s wedding cake
A slice of wedding cake from the 1981 royal wedding of then-Prince Charles and Diana sold for £1,850 at a 2021 auction. The slice of cake was given to Moyra Smith, a member of the Queen Mother's household at Clarence House who then preserved the topping of the cake with clingfilm and kept it in a cake tin.
