Eight year mystery solved after missing silver cigarette case found

AN eight-year mystery over the whereabouts of a silver cigarette case belonging to Nottingham's famous Birkin lace-making family has been solved.

The case, which originally belonged to Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, the Second Birkin Baronet, was permanently loaned to Nottingham City Council by his family after his death in 1931.

But Sir Thomas's great nephew Peter Birkin, 80, noticed it missing from its usual glass display case next to the Council House dining room while attending a civic event eight years ago.

He had been trying to locate it ever since.

It has now been found by Neil Smith, the Lord Mayor's Sergeant, in a safe within the Council House and identified as the missing family heirloom by Mr Birkin himself.

"I thought someone had nicked it. I'm very, very pleased to find it. It's been a long, drawn-out quest," said Mr Birkin, from Owthorpe, the only living Notts-based member of the family.

"If it wasn't for Neil Smith's arduous searching, we would have never got it back."

Mr Birkin said the cigarette case was a present to Sir Thomas from his three sons to mark his 70th birthday in 1927.

It is insured by the city council for �250.

"I've phoned Nottingham City Council a number of times over the last eight years. I also phoned Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce after someone at the council said they might have lent it to them.

"I've also tried to find it when I've been to the Council House for events. The last time was around two years ago after The Sherwood Foresters march from the [Nottingham] Castle.

A city council spokesman said: "We have a lot of silverware in the Council House which is cleaned and removed from time to time.

"Unfortunately, this cigarette case was removed, placed in a safe and returned to a different cabinet with a different label on it.

"We apologise to Mr Birkin for any anxiety this might have caused him. We are pleased that we have managed to find it for Mr Birkin again.

"We will display the box alongside The Birkin Epergne in a cabinet next to the dining room entrance."

An epergne is a type of table centrepiece, usually made of silver.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503354/s/13fbe517/l/0L0Sthisisnottingham0O0Cnews0Cyear0Emystery0Esolved0Emissing0Esilver0Ecigarette0Ecase0Carticle0E3420A6390Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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