Princess Diana’s Letters Sold at Auction

Originally published on IanWhittock.com.

Letters written by the ‘honourable’ Lady Di were recently sold for thousands at auction.

Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, who was the first wife of Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, wrote countless letters throughout her lifetime and a handful were recently sold at a UK auction. Handwritten notes, seven in total, were sent to the head steward at the Buckingham Palace during the 1980s and 1990s. These fascinating letters offered a lively glimpse into the world of the beautiful public figure who met her untimely end during the fall of 1997, due to a fiery car crash.

The late Princess Diana, who died at the young age of 31 had two children, princes William and Harry, both featured in those letters. Princess Diana wrote in a letter dated October 17, 1992: “The boys are well and enjoying boarding school although Harry is constantly in trouble! We are off to Korea in November so a good place to do Christmas Shopping!”

Written on Kensington Palace notepaper, the letters had a pre-sale estimate of $745 to $1,117 prior to being sold for $2,978 by auction house Cheffins Fine Art. Another note, with a similar appraisal, was auctioned for  $3,972. That particular note was sent just a few days following Prince Harry’s birth in 1984. The letter depicting the “particularly happy time” stated: “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!”

In 1992, a letter from Princess Diana was delivered to Dickman, which was of particular significance. That letter thanked Dickman for his support after the death of her father, John Spencer, Viscount Althorp. That particular item was sold for $3,724.

The handwritten artifacts were deemed a “historically important collection of Royal letters and memorabilia,” according to Cheffins spokeswoman, according to an email to FoxNews.com.

Princess Diana was known for her charity throughout her life, which concluding in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.

6 Interesting Facts About Auctions

Originally published on IanWhittock.com.

Many people like to attend auctions, but not everyone knows the fascinating history behind them. Here are a few interesting facts about auctions:

• Auctions were used in the Roman Empire.

Auctions have been recorded as early as 500 B.C. The word “auction” comes from the Latin word for “I increase” or “I augment”. This makes sense because this is exactly what bidders do in auctions when they add to the previous bid.  The entire Roman Empire was put up for auction.

Many people get a thrill from big auctions, but this auction in 193 A.D. took big auctions to the next level. The Praetorian Guard killed emperor Pertinax and proceeded to offer the Roman Empire to the highest bidder. Didius Julianus bid 6,250 drachmas per guard, outbidding everyone else and causing a brief civil war. Two months later, Septimius Severus conquered Rome and Didius Julianus was beheaded.

• The first-known auction house dates back 341 years.

The Stockholm Auction House in Sweden, founded in 1674, is the first known auction house in the world. The second-largest auction house, Sotheby's, was founded in London in March 1744. The world’s largest auction house is also located in London and was founded by James Christie in 1766.

• The violin that played as the Titanic sank was sold for $1.7 million.

One of the rarest historical artifacts that recently auctioned for a pretty penny was the violin that was purportedly played when the Titanic sank. People believe that it belonged to the ship’s bandmaster Wallace Hartley. It's unsurprising that this artifact sold for a large sum of $1.7 million given that it was at the center of a key historical event, not to mention one that a hit movie was based upon.

• A 65-year-old slice of Royal Wedding cake was auctioned off.

It’s hard to believe someone would buy an old piece of cake until you hear the origins of the cake. It was the fruit cake served at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. Not long ago, PFC Auctions was able to sell this slice for $925.

• Candles were used in early auctions.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was customary in some parts of England to have auctions by candlelight. When the candle went out, the auction was over. This technique was used to prevent people from knowing exactly when the auction would end and making a bid at the last second. The practice gained popularity.

In fact, Samuel Pepy’s diary from 1660 showed that there were two occasions on which the Admiralty sold surplus ships using candles. The diary entries also show that a highly successful bidder realized that the candle-wick always flares up slightly before expiring. The bidder would always shout his final and winning bid when he saw the wick flare up. Candle auctions lost popularity after Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb.

From interesting historical artifacts that have been sold to the processes used in early auctions, it is clear that auctions have a fascinating history. Next time you’re at an auction you can think back to some of these incredible facts.