1977 Fidel Castro Cigars & Business Card
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GUEST:
My dad led a group of businessmen. They were first group to go into Cuba in 1977 to explore trade with the Cubans. And he was invited into Fidel Castro's office.
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
In the palace. And he was given these cigars by Fidel Castro. This is my dad right there.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
And this is, of course, Fidel.
APPRAISER:
In 1977, Mondale and Carter were just looking at kind of working with the 1960 trade embargos. And so your fathers group, it was from Minnesota?
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So your father spent how long in the room with him?
GUEST:
Four hours.
APPRAISER:
Wow, that's quite a meeting.
GUEST:
Yeah. One of the things my dad talked about was he said he had a certain impression that he was oppressive, mean-- you know, all the horrible things we heard that he did to people.
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
And he said he couldn't ever understand how anybody followed him. And then he said he met with him and he said he was so charismatic. He said, "I finally understood how he got those people to follow him and get this revolution," and so on and so.
APPRAISER:
Right. He was razor smart, too. So right here, a great photo. It's of Fidel, and then your father's companion in the room that day, and your father. What it is, it's a later enlargement of the original. And then the business card, it adds to the cigars. I think that, at auction, this group could bring $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
(softly clapping) That's exciting. Of course, we'd never sell them, but, really, it's such a meaningful thing for our family.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Very, very cool-- well, thank you.
APPRAISER:
You're welcome.
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