According to an auction house, a pair of gold-plated glasses worn by Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi has sold in Britain for £260,000 (about 288,000 euros, $340,000).
“We found them just four weeks ago in our letterbox, left there by a gentleman whose uncle had been given them by Gandhi himself,” East Bristol Auctions wrote on Instagram after the sale late Friday.
“An incredible result for an incredible item! Thanks to all those who bid.”Gandhi was known for giving out old or unwanted pairs to those in need or those who had helped him.
The non-violent protestor gave the glasses to the vendor’s uncle while he was working for British Petroleum in South Africa during the 1920s or 30s, said the auction house.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe told Sky News earlier this month that the vendor had told him: “If they’re no good, just throw them away.”When he suggested they might be worth £15,000, “I think he nearly fell off his chair.”
Stowe said there had been a lot of interest in the glasses, especially from India, but that it was fortunate they reached him intact.
However, the sale price smashed the original estimate of around £15,000.
