Product Details
AN HISTORIC STERLING SILVER CIGARETTE-CASE BEARING THE AUTOGRAPH OF 'MAE WEST',
hallmarked for Birmingham 1920, and measuring approximately 3 1/4in. by 5 1/2in., the faces with machine engraved panels with stepped border, the front with small rectangular plate initialled 'B.M.', the inside of case with gilt wash and bearing the blackened scratched signature of Mae West, together with a letter from The Imperial War Museum
Provenance: This silver cigarette case was a gift to the vendor's father, a Mr Bogdan Mogilnicki, by the vendor's mother in the 1920s. After escaping the Nazi occupation of Poland, Mr Mogilnicki came to England via Cape Town in late 1940 and joined the Free Polish Air-Force. Based at Duxford with the Polish 302 Squadron, this case was signed by Mae West during her visit to the base on 'morale-boosting duties' during 1941. Mr Paver of The Imperial War Museum has compared the signature with other known examples and declared it authentic. A copy of this letter accompanies the Lot.
Other Notes: Mae West, the American born actress, starlet and playwright was much-loved by allied servicemen in WWII, and she spent a deal of time in morale boosting concert parties and tours.
The life-preserver worn by R.A.F. air crew was popularly known as a 'Mae West' due to its resemblance to her impressive torso, and the term is also given to a type of round parachute malfunction (technically known as a partial inversion) where the canopy is contorted by the lines into the shape of an enormous brassiere.
West was no stranger to controversy and was the subject of censorship on occasion. Asked about the various efforts to impede her career, West said, "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it".
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Estimate £800-1,200