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Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel sold for £110,000 | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A spinning wheel used by Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi while in prison has been sold at auction for about £110,000 ($180,000). | |
He used it to spin thread and make his own clothes in Pune's Yerwada jail in the early 1930s. | He used it to spin thread and make his own clothes in Pune's Yerwada jail in the early 1930s. |
Gandhi gave the wheel to the American Free Methodist missionary Reverend Dr Floyd A Puffer in 1935. | Gandhi gave the wheel to the American Free Methodist missionary Reverend Dr Floyd A Puffer in 1935. |
Auctioneers Mullock's said it had been sold to an anonymous phone bidder at Ludlow Racecourse in Shropshire. | |
Richard Westwood-Brookes from the auction house said the price had "exceeded expectations." | |
"The guide price for the wheel (between £60,000 ($96,000) and £80,000) was based on what the owner thought they could get, which I initially thought might be a bit high," he said. | |
"Once the interest started to come in online and on the phones it took its own momentum." | |
The portable spinning wheel, called a charkha in Hindi, "folds into a bundle about the size of a portable typewriter and has a handle for carrying. When unfolded for use it is operated by turning a small crank which runs the two wheels and spindle of the device", the American monthly Popular Science wrote in 1931. | The portable spinning wheel, called a charkha in Hindi, "folds into a bundle about the size of a portable typewriter and has a handle for carrying. When unfolded for use it is operated by turning a small crank which runs the two wheels and spindle of the device", the American monthly Popular Science wrote in 1931. |
Gandhi spent time daily on spinning and often described it as a form of meditation. | Gandhi spent time daily on spinning and often described it as a form of meditation. |
His artefacts are regularly sold at auctions and are popular with collectors. | His artefacts are regularly sold at auctions and are popular with collectors. |
In February this year Mullock's set a record with a letter of Gandhi fetching £115,000. In May a collection including his sandals, shawl and other personal effects topped £250,000. | In February this year Mullock's set a record with a letter of Gandhi fetching £115,000. In May a collection including his sandals, shawl and other personal effects topped £250,000. |
Last year a pair of Gandhi's glasses with a guide price of £10,000 sold for £34,000 at the racecourse. | Last year a pair of Gandhi's glasses with a guide price of £10,000 sold for £34,000 at the racecourse. |