New to you: Cigar smoked by Celtics legend ‘Red’ Auerbach up for auction

Mattawan, NJ — If you have a Boston Celtics fan on your holiday shopping list your search may be over, or not.

A cigar once smoked by all-time Boston Celtics legend and hall-of-famer Arnold “Red” Auerbach has hit the auction block.

The used stogie is part of the 2023 Fall Classic auction by Lelands.

“The smoked cigar demonstrates great use, and, over the years, some of the tobacco leaves have dried out and cracked,” according to Lelands.

The starting bid on Lot #1145 Red Auerbach’s Smoked Cigar is $200. The auction is live now and comes to an end on Saturday, November 18.

“The offered smoked cigar is about 0.75″ in diameter and approx. 4″ in length,” according to the Leland’s description. “No brand name is visible.”

“The smoked cigar has been packaged in a 3.5x8x1″ plastic box supplied by Lelands Auctions,” says Lelands. “The cigar’s use is not dated, but as an offering, the cigar dates from (as hand printed on a sticker on the box) ‘Red Auerbach Cigar from the New England Card Show IX/Boston College High School/Morrisey Blvd. Boston, Massachusetts/January 6, 1996..’”

“Overall, the smoked cigar is in good condition, especially considering that the item is over a half century old,” Lelands says.

Auerbach built the Celtics into one of the NBA’s premier teams.

“The cigar-chomping Auerbach expertly steered the Celtics to eight straight NBA championships, a streak unmatched in NBA history,” according to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. “Aggressive, demanding, and often volatile on the bench, Auerbach was the first coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games”

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