Firestyle Magazine Issue 5 - Autumn 2016 | Page 33

His larger-than-life personality came to a head during the Second World War, and as early as 1940, companies such as Royal Doulton were producing pottery models of Churchill. However one of the first examples did not please the great man, who thought the jug that Doulton made was not a very good likeness. It was produced for only a few months and hastily withdrawn. Examples are now hard to find and so desirable they will fetch at least £5,000! Happily it is possible to get a toby jug or figure of Sir Winston Churchill at a much more modest price, for Royal Doulton has produced several other versions over the years with values typically between £50 and £150 depending on model. And many other pottery firms have also produced Churchill figures, busts and toby jugs, most of them available for under £50, as are unsigned books and prints and other Churchill memorabilia. But greatest demand is for items more directly related to Sir Winston Churchill, such as personal letters, autographs, or signed photographs. A single wartime photograph of Churchill and signed by him can fetch as much as £5,000, so too some of his signed books. Now and then, examples still turn up in junk shops and can be snapped up at a bargain price, so its worth keeping a look-out! 33