Ulysses Grant
n.p., ca. 1883-1885
Significant Remnants of U.S. Grant's Personally-Owned Cigar From His Very Last Box
Relic

A group of significant remnants of Ulysses S. Grant's Las Palmas cigar from his very last box. Circa 1883-1885. Multiple pieces housed in a small plastic casing measuring 2" x 2", which has been adhered to a larger sheet. In our November 2021 sale, a similar display fetched $3,000! The cigar was originally purchased from the Swann Auction sale of Presidential Americana in the William Wheeler III collection, which reached a price of four figures.

Accompanying the cigar had been a letter explaining the cigar's provenance. Dated September 7, 1889, from West Point, addressed to Captain J.A. Fessenden from T.B. Lee, it reads: "I take pleasure in sending you a cigar, one of the last in the last box used by Gen. U.S. Grant. Lieut. Totten was ordered to join his battery (Light Batt., 4th Art'y, Newport, RI). Wagenor and I were ordered to pack his furniture. Lieut. Totten gave the enclosed bottle & cigar to Wagenor. He gave it to me, and I, knowing the captain's feeling and politics in regard to Gen. Grant, take pleasure in presenting it to Capt. J.A. Fessenden, if the captain will take the trouble to write a line to Lieut. Totten. He will verify my statement as to the genuineness and how I came in possession of the cigar."

Ulysses S. Grant famously started smoking cigars on the battlefields during the Civil War, and he continued the habit throughout his presidency. 1st Lieutenant Charles Totten (1851-1908) served as a Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the Cathedral School of St. Paul in New York. His term ended in April 1886, and he transferred to Fort Adams in Rhode Island. Lee and Fessenden were likely cadets at St. Paul as well. President Grant passed away in 1885 in upstate New York, so the story of the cigar is very plausible, also considering that the Las Palmas cigars were manufactured in 1883 in San Francisco, and Grant had significant West Coast connections. At this time, we know of no other cigars belonging to Ulysses S. Grant that have been offered on the Americana market. The pieces are fragmented but in good condition.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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8.5" x 11"
Accompanying Paperwork.