A pair of gold-plated spectacles believed to have belonged to Mahatma Gandhi were found by staff at an auction house in Bristol last week. They were apparently left by the owner in the company’s letterbox.
The pair of glasses were left inside a plain envelop and were found “sticking halfway out” of the auction company’s letterbox by its staff. Andrew Stowe, who runs the auction company, initially estimated to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000, the “current bid” on the auction house’s website was at £50,000. Stowe said,
“Someone popped them into our letterbox on a Friday night and they stayed there until Monday — literally hanging out. This is probably the most important find we have ever had as a company. We looked into the dates… even the date Gandhi started wearing glasses.
“It’s a huge find of great historical importance. The vendor had presumed them to be interesting, but of no value and did tell me to dispose of them ‘if they are not worth anything’. It’s a really great auction story – and one that we all dream of.”
The pair of glasses was said to have been in the family of an unnamed elderly man in England, whose father told him his uncle had got it as a gift while working for British Petroleum in South Africa. The auction catalogue read,
“A pair of early 20th century c1920 gold plated circular rimmed spectacles by repute owned and worn by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi would often give away his old or unwanted pairs to those in need or those who had helped him”.
“The uncle working for British Petroleum at the time and was stationed in South Africa, and it can be presumed that these were gifted by way of thanks from Gandhi for some good deed,” the auction house said.
Titled “Pair of Mahatma Gandhi’s Personal Spectacles”, the antique piece will be auctioned on August 21.
