Gandhi Glasses To Be Sold For Rs 14 Lakh, Owner Shocked To Know The Price

Dhir Acharya - Aug 10, 2020

A pair of glasses that Mahatma Gandhi wore in South Africa will be auctioned in Britain with an estimated worth of $19,000 or Rs 14.2 lakh.

A pair of glasses that Mahatma Gandhi wore in South Africa will be auctioned in Britain with an estimated worth of $19,000 or Rs 14.2 lakh. But the price of these “gold plated circular rimmed spectacles” could go even higher.

According to auctioneer Andrew Stowe at the East Bristol Auctions, the glasses were probably the most important thing the company has found. The spectacles were listed in an online auction of military and history memorabilia on August 21.

Gandhi Glasses At Auction Swns Compressed — The pair of spectacles was sent to an auction house

Stowe added that the owner “nearly had a heart attack” when knowing the value of the glasses. Recalling how the glasses were found, Stowe told that when they came to the company on Monday, there was a small white envelope poking out of the letterbox, quite precariously. Inside the envelope were the glasses and a note saying ‘These were Gandhi’s glasses,’ along with the owner’s phone number.

“Someone popped them into our letterbox on a Friday night and they stayed there until Monday — literally hanging out. They were just in. They could quite easily have been stolen or fallen out or just ended up in the bin.
One of my staff handed them to me and said there was a note saying they were Gandhi’s glasses. I thought, ‘That’s an interesting one’ and carried on with my day.”

Mahatma Gandhi, the glasses helped create his signature look

After a phone call and some research, he found that the spectacles had a significant historical value. Gandhi is an iconic figure in history, with a signature look consisting of the glasses, the sandals, and his shawl. The spectacles themselves were from the early twentieth century, plated with gold, featuring circular rimmed spectacles and prescription lenses, which were jointed with a gold plated nose bar. They help create the iconic overall appearance of Gandhi. He was said to often give his old, unwanted glasses to people in need or who helped him.

As for this specific pair of glasses, Gandhi gave it to the vendor’s uncle between 1920 and 1930 along with a shawl he worn, which was sold in 2013 for Rs 39.2 lakh (£40,000). Also in 2013, a pair of sandals worn by Gandhi was sold for Rs 12.7 lakh (£13,000).