8月16日，波士顿RR拍卖行的一次拍卖中，出自英国前首相温斯顿·丘吉尔的两支罗密欧与朱丽叶雪茄拍出了5500美元的价格。

历史上很少有名人比丘吉尔更能体现出对雪茄的精神和激情，他总是随身携带几支雪茄，在某些场合，也会赠送给别人。拍卖会上这两支雪茄就是玛丽女王号跨越大西洋航行期间的赠品。丘吉尔将这两支雪茄连同一张签名照片赠送给移民局官员威尔弗雷德·查尔默斯（Wilfred Chalmers）。这位移民局官员一直保存着这两支雪茄和签名照片。

这两支罗密欧与朱丽叶的状态相差比较大，一支长4.75英寸，装在铝管里。另一支长6.5英寸，破损相对严重。

除了雪茄和签名照片，拍卖品还包括了威尔弗雷德·查尔默斯的儿子出具的证明信，他还提供了父亲本人的照片。在航空业繁荣之前，乘坐玛丽女王号是往返英国和美国之间的主要交通方式。在抵达英国南安普顿前，移民局官员要对乘客进行证件检查。威尔弗雷德·查尔默斯给丘吉尔留下了深刻的印象，丘吉尔赠送了他雪茄和签名照片。

目前还不知道这次旅行的具体时间，据悉，在二战期间，丘吉尔曾经三次乘坐玛丽女王号穿越大西洋。

There are few figures in history who embodied the spirit and passion of cigar smoking more than Sir Winston Churchill. The revered statesman always had a cigar (or several) on his person—and occasionally, he’d give them away. This is apparently what happened during a trans-Atlantic voyage aboard RMS Queen Mary. Churchill not only gifted a pair of Romeo y Julietas to a first-class immigration officer, but a signed photo as well. Understanding the magnitude of the gift, the officer held on to the two smokes and the picture, all of which sold at an auction in a single lot for $5,500 on August 16.

Along with the cigars and the picture, the auction lot included a letter of provenance from the son of the original recipient as well as a photograph of two unidentified men, one of whom is likely the immigration officer in question. The letter adds welcomed context to the artifacts. It was noted that this ocean liner was the primary method for travel between the United Kingdom and United States before the aviation boom. Before arrival to Southampton, England, passengers would need to be “processed” by the immigration officers, which is evidently where the officer, referred to as Wilfred Chalmers in the letter, received the cigars and picture after impressing Churhchill with his service.   

It’s not clear when exactly this voyage took place, however, according to the International Churchill Society, Sir Winston crossed the Atlantic aboard the RMS Queen Mary three times during World War II. 

The two Romeo y Julietas are quite paradoxical to one another. The smaller cigar, measuring 4 3/4 inches long, comes housed in its original Romeo y Julieta tubo and remains in remarkable condition. Its companion, 6 1/2 inches in length, has seen better days, displaying clear signs of wear and tear.

Other items from the recent Fine Autograph and Artifacts auction by RR Auction included a band-signed vinyl of Queen’s 1973 self-titled debut album (sold for $39,178), a Hollywood autograph collection featuring over 6,500 signatures (sold for $124,781) and a handwritten letter by Marie Antoinette to an Austrian ambassador (sold for $18,750). To see more, visit rrauction.com.