Mahatma Gandhi's Glasses Left In Auctioneer's Letterbox To Be Auctioned For Over Rs 14 Lakh

A pair of glasses believed to belong to Mahatma Gandhi are to go on auction after they were found casually hanging from an auctioneer, Andy Stowe's, letterbox.

The glasses were found in an envelope by Staff at East Bristol Auctions on Monday morning, and they are set to be auctioned for more than $19,000 (Approx Rs. 14 lakh) in Britain.

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Stowe reportedly said, "Someone popped them into our letterbox on a Friday night and they stayed there until Monday - literally hanging out. One of my staff handed them to me and said there was a note saying they were Gandhi's glasses. I thought 'That's an interesting one' and carried on with my day."

When Stowe looked into the matter he almost "fell off his chair" to find that the circular rimmed, gold-plated glasses, had actually been worn by the Indian civil rights leader.

"I phoned the guy back and I think he nearly had a heart attack," he said. It is believed to be one of the most important finds in the company's history. When the owner was told the value of the glasses, Stowe said they ¡°nearly had a heart attack.¡±

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EAST BRISTOL AUCTIONS LTD

According to reports, they are believed to have been in the family of the unnamed elderly man vendor in England, who was told by his father that they were a gift to his uncle when he was working for British Petroleum in South Africa between 1910 and 1930.

"The vendor's uncle definitely worked for British Petroleum in South Africa, and I believe Mahatma Gandhi didn't wear glasses until the late 1910s early 1920s," Stowe said. It is likely that the glasses are one of Mahatma Gandhi's earliest pairs during his time in South Africa.

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EAST BRISTOL AUCTIONS LTD

"They were just in a plain white envelope. They could quite easily have been stolen or fallen out or just ended up in the bin. This is probably the most important find we have ever had as a company,¡± Stowe said.

The glasses are going to be sold as part of an online-only auction on August 21, and there has already been a lot of interest from India.

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