London (AFP)
A British auction house announced the sale of a pair of round glasses having belonged to the hero of Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi, who would have "offered as a thank you for a good deed".
This pair of gold-plated rimmed glasses "formed an important and somewhat iconic part of Gandhi's overall appearance," East Bristol Auctions points out on its website.
The apostle of non-violence "often gave his old pairs or those he no longer wanted to those who needed them or to those who had helped him", underlines the auction house.
The pair in question was given by Gandhi in the 1920s to the seller's uncle, who at the time worked for British Petroleum in South Africa, explains the auction house: "It is presumed that it was offered. as a thank you from Gandhi for a good deed ".
Bristol East Auctions received the item in an unusual manner as it was simply placed in an envelope in its letterbox.
"A colleague of mine picked it up, tore up the envelope and found a note saying: + these glasses belong to Gandhi, call me +," one of the auctioneers, Andrew Stowe, told Sky News. .
After a call to the seller, "we searched, researched and found that it was a historical discovery ... I called the man back, he said: + if they are not good , get rid of it "explained the auctioneer. "When I told him they were worth 15,000 pounds, I think he almost fell out of his chair."
Estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds (between 11,000 and 17,000 euros), the glasses will go on sale online on August 21.
© 2020 AFP