Oscar Wilde’s cigarette holder in sale

Oscar Wilde’s cigarette holder will go under the hammer at Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers this month, with hopes it could light up the auction room.

It is the first time in over a decade that the rare holder has been offered for sale. The silver and amber holder is embossed with foliate scrolls and hallmarked ‘Birmingham 1894’.

The item was last sold by Bonhams Auctioneers in Knightsbridge in 1997, when was offered as part of a larger collection of items recovered from the Hotel d’Alsace in Paris, where Wilde was famously staying when he died in 1900. At the time, Bonhams originally gave it an auction estimate of £300-£400 but the cigarette holder ended up selling for an impressive £2,400.

Auctioneer Irita Marriott said: “Knowing it belonged to Oscar Wilde and that it was recovered from the Hotel d’Alsace, makes this such an exciting lot! Without the link to such an iconic figure it would only be expected to make £20-£30 but with the provenance we have, this lot could go wild!”

The cigarette holder, complete with original receipt and catalogue listing from Bonhams, is set to appear in Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers Antiques and Collectors online auction on May 14 with an estimate of £300-£600.