Mahatma Gandhi's Last Will Likely To Fetch 40,000 Pounds at UK Auction
London: Mahatma Gandhi's last will and testament is expected to be the most sought after lot as part of an auction of rare items and documents being held in a small English town.
Described as a "highly important document", the two-page handwritten will on folio paper is priced between 30,000 pounds and 40,000 pounds and will compete with a fragment of Gandhi's blood on a microscopic slide, priced between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds.
"While the blood sample may be sacred for some, the will is an extremely important historical document. It is hand-written in Gujarati and signed by Gandhi," Richard Westwood-Brookes, historical documents expert for Mullock's auctioneers, told PTI from the auction site at Ludlow Racecourse in Shropshire.
The slide of Gandhi's blood dates back to 1924 when the leader of India's freedom movement was in convalescence from an appendectomy near Mumbai. He is believed to have donated the blood to the family he was staying with at the time.
"It is an important and rare fact but we also have Gandhi's shawl and sandals, which are expected to attract a lot of attention," Westwood-Brookes added in reference to no the key items that will go under the hammer.
The hand-woven linen shawl, made from material spun by Gandhi himself, is estimated to fetch up to 20,000 pounds.
