A cigar butt cast aside by famous wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill is set to sell for £1,200 at auction.

The ‘used’ item picked up by a policeman in the 1940s will go on sale along with a pair of satin slippers that belonged to Queen Victoria.

Made in the mid-19th century, the shoes have gold thread bands and will go under the hammer almost 202 years to the day after she was born.

The slippers are expected to fetch up to £3,000 later this month when members of the public will be able to bid.

The Bolton News: A pair of ballet-style slippers which belonged to Queen Victoria (Gareth Fuller/PA)A pair of ballet-style slippers which belonged to Queen Victoria (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Julian Dineen, specialist in charge of the Bellmans auction, said: “There is definitely a taste for memorabilia related to important historical figures at the moment.

“The recent sale of Churchill’s slippers indicated that although we don’t expect Queen Victoria’s slippers to necessarily reach five figures as they are less rare.

“We suspect that Queen Victoria’s household would have ordered more than one pair of a particular style and due to their delicate nature they probably wouldn’t have been worn too many times.”

The ballet-style shoes were gifted by Queen Victoria to her Mistress of the Robes, Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland.

The slippers stayed in the family until their sale in 2000 after her granddaughter  Lady Florence married Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin.

In March 2021, a brandy balloon glass that had belonged to Churchill sold along with a pair of his velvet slippers.

Now three further glasses from the set – the whereabouts of the final two are unknown – are to be put up for auction and could fetch up to £10,000 each.

A more unusual item is the cigar butt that was smoked by Sir Winston Churchill.

The Bolton News: A cigar butt cast aside by Sir Winston Churchill. (PA)A cigar butt cast aside by Sir Winston Churchill. (PA)

The current owner’s grandfather, Arthur Church, served as a policeman at Scotland Yard in the 1940s and while he was on police duty escorting Churchill, the Prime Minister smoked a cigar and Mr Church picked up the discarded butt.

Bellmans’ next auctions are scheduled for May 25-28, and for more information visit www.bellmans.co.uk.