Gandhi's Spectacles Sold for Crores of Rupees after Being in a Drawer for 50 Yrs

A pair of spectacles belonging to India's independence leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had been lying in the drawer of the home of a British resident for almost 50 years. The pair of spectacles were sold at auction for more than two and a half crore rupees (280,000 pounds).

An American collector bought a pair of glasses at a six-minute telephone auction on Friday.

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe says this is a record for the East Bristol auction house.

It was speculated that the pair of glasses could sell for a maximum of 15,000 (over Rs 1.5 million). But the seller did not think that the price would be so high.

Andrew Stowe says the owner of Gandhi's pair of glasses is an elderly man from the Mangosfield area of ​​Britain. A pair of glasses had been lying in a drawer in his home for more than 50 years. During the lockdown, he went to clean the house and found a pair of glasses.

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The family has had a pair of spectacles for generations since a relative met Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in South Africa in the 1920s.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has a reputation for distributing his belongings.

After finding a pair of glasses, the owner gave the auction to Andrew Stowe. Because he wanted to buy a pair of glasses for someone who would understand its historical value.

But he did not imagine that the price could go up so much.

Mr. "It's an exceptional result," Stowe said. This pair of glasses not only set a sales record for us, but also highlighted its international historical significance. "

A pair of glasses inserted into a white envelope had been lying in a letter box at the East Bristol auction house since Friday night. The envelope was opened on Monday morning.

"It could have been easily stolen, broken or maybe even thrown in the trash," he said. Stowe.

He says the owner had no idea what the price was and when he was told it might be worth 15,000, he was about to have a 'heart attack'.

'' This pair of glasses had been in the drawer for over fifty years. Its owner told me that if it could not be sold, it should be discarded. And now he's getting money to change his life. "

The seller of the pair of glasses said that he will share the money received from the auction with his daughter.

Source: BBC Bangla