Gandhi's Spectacles for Sale

Glasses and other items to be auctioned
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2009 10:16 PM CST
Gandhi's Spectacles for Sale
Mahatma Gandhi. His eyeglasses pocket watch and other possessions are scheduled to be sold at auction.   (AP Photo/Antiquorum Auctioneers)

Mahatma Gandhi's handful of possessions—his signature round-lens eyeglasses, simple sandals, bowl, plate, and pocket watch—are to be sold at auction in New York next month. Although he had far fewer possessions than Jackie O, the BBC reports the auction is likely to attract just as much attention as hers did.  Figure about $40,000 for the items, which will be sold together.

Gandhi's stuff is being sold by a private collector, and some Indians hope the buyer will put them in the public domain. "All of Gandhi's things should be ideally placed in a museum," said the secretary of the Gandhi Memorial Foundation. "It should be available to future generations to see and draw inspiration from."

(More Mahatma Gandhi stories.)

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