A Royal cigarette case is expected to sell for £300 - £500 at Toovey's Auctions in West Sussex, in their 1st February 'Photographs, Autographs and Ephemera sale'.
The engine turned silver cigarette case was owned by Edward VIII, later The Duke Of Windsor, and was gifted to his Solicitor Sir Albert George Allen in recognition of his services.
The case, which measures 9cm x 6cm, features King Edward's Royal Cypher and is hallmarked as London 1934 by Ramsden & Roed.
King Edward has had the case inscribed 'A.G Allen from Edward R.I. 11th December 1936'.
The cigarette case is accompanied by a piece of paper with the letterhead 'The Fort'.
There are a few interesting points to be made about the Lot.
Firstly the date of the engraved inscription, '11th December 1936' is the exact date of Edward's abdication, when he left the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson in 1937.
Secondly, 'The Fort' is Fort Belvedere, which was King Edward's home in Windsor Great Park, which is owned by The Crown Estate. Edward lived at the house, developed his relationship with Wallis Simpson there, and announced his abdication from the house.
The Fort had been given to Edward in 1929 by his father King George V who had asked Edward:
"What could you possibly want that queer old place for? Those damn weekends I suppose"
The third interesting point is that Sir Albert George Allen, Edward's solicitor, and adviser throughout the abdication process, was also the founder of the Allen and Overy law firm, now one of the world's largest law firms with 580 partners and 5,600 staff worldwide.
So the item qualifies for our 'power of three' collecting philosphy!
The public fascination with Edward and Mrs Simpson remains strong (possibly enhanced by the actions of Prince Harry?).
Following the death of Wallis Simpson Sotheby's auctioned the contents of their Parisian home in 1987 and raised over £31m - 10 times the pre-acution estimates, and a record for a single owner sale.
The is a really cool display piece and if you can get it for anywhere near the reserve price consider it a bargain..
We wouldn't be suprised to see this on display at Allen and Overy offices in months to come.
View the auction at Toovey's.
About your Author:
Adrian Roose has over 30 years’ experience covering all aspects of the rare stamp & memorabilia industry during which he has sold over £50m of unique items, helping build collections for Royalty, household name celebrities and 1,000s of collectors around the world.
Adrian was previously a Director at Stanley Gibbons, a Board Member of Stampex, and Executive Director of Paul Fraser Collectibles, PFC Auctions and JustCollecting, prior to founding The Memorabilia Club.