A sword which reportedly belonged to Britain’s Bonnie Prince Charlie has been auctioned for £19,000.
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The 2ft 8in weapon had been part of a collection of armour at Crosby Lodge in Cumbria, England and it was offered during a Scottish silver sale held at by auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh on Tuesday (26.08.08).
Before the auction, silver specialist at Lyon and Turnbull Colin Fraser said: “Charles always considered himself royalty, so this is a royal sword in a sense and is of wonderful quality.
“The Jacobite period and Charles Edward Stuart are both very collectable figures so there is going to be great competition, and that’s one of the reasons the price will be hotly contested.
“The sword displays the Royal Cypher and other symbols in gilt to the blade and shows Charles’ opinion of being the rightful heir to the Scottish throne.”
The sword had been expected to fetch between £5,000 and £7,000.
Charles Edward Stuart – known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – was the grandson of James II and VII – the king of Scotland, Ireland and England from 1685 to 1688 – who was deposed in the Revolution of 1688. Charles spent much of his life battling to be reinstated to the throne.
Meanwhile, a slice of the late Princess Diana’s wedding cake was sold for £1,000 on Wednesday (27.08.08).
The confectionary was bought by an unnamed buyer when it went on sale at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in Gloucestershire, England.
Chis Albury, from the auction house, said: “Whoever bought it is unlikely to eat it as it will undoubtedly taste stale and be an expensive experiment.”
