March 18, 2026

The World of Churchill Collectables

 WELCOME TO FULTON, MR. CHURCHILL! 

by Brian Krapf

In honor of the 80^th anniversary celebration of Winston Churchill’s “Sinews of Peace” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, an array of original items used on March 5, 1946 seemed appropriate to share this month.  A button, pennants, a AAA-sponsored campus map, a student’s pass and of course, an admission ticket, were all used by the public at Westminster to celebrate the most pivotal post-war speech of the 20th century. 

Churchill, though no longer Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, was still very popular in his own country and throughout the world. Westminster’s invitation to Churchill to deliver the annual John Findley Green Foundation lecture was made at the insistence and urging of President Truman.  Churchill’s speech was formally titled “Sinews of Peace” but is informally known today as the “Iron Curtain” speech. He announced the onset of the cold war and the Soviet Union’s domination of Eastern Europe. 

Items from this remarkable day appear on the market but are very rare and highly sought. They were made for a one-day event at a specific location and not used elsewhere. Bidding is always competitive. One of the admission tickets was auctioned at ICS’s recent annual meeting in Washington, DC  and sold in excess of $30,000.00. While that price included a generous donation to America’s National Churchill Museum, it illustrates the popularity and desirability of Fulton items and the competition to acquire them by seasoned collectors and  those who enjoy history.