Two locks of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s hair have fetched thousands of pounds at auction.
The hair, which was estimated to sell for between £2,000 and £3,000 fetched double this at a live online auction on Thursday, July 29, when it was snapped up for £5,000.
The two cuttings of hair are part of the Nelson collection amassed by the late Ron Fiske of Morningthorpe Hall in south Norfolk, who was an inaugural member of the Nelson Society, and its chairman for nine years.
Other related items going under the hammer at Keys Auctioneers and valuers in Aylsham, as part of its two-day summer fine sale on Wednesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 30, include medals from campaigns when Nelson led the fleet, rare contemporary porcelain, including a cup and saucer - which may have belonged to the admiral - pictures and books.
More than 100 items from the Fiske collection are up for auction at the sale.
Tim Blyth, director of Keys Auctioneers, which sold the hair, said: “It’s one of the most important collections of Nelson memorabilia to come to the market.
“There was lots and lots of interest.”
When the pandemic first hit, the auctioneers had to quickly adapt and move all of its sales online to avoid closure.
But the change, which wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for coronavirus, meant an increase for the companies turnover with customers coming in from around the world.
North Norfolk’s MP Duncan Baker met with Mr Blyth on the day of the auction and held the locks for himself.
He said: “Holding a lock of Nelson’s hair – part of a larger, important collection of memorabilia – was quite an experience.
“It was incredible to hold this 200-year-old piece of Norfolk’s history. He remains one of the county’s most famous sons, and Britain’s greatest naval hero for his seafaring exploits, and quite rightly so.”
The Lord Nelson statue in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral was recently targeted in two graffiti attacks, and has been fenced off by contractors. Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe.
To view the rest of the Nelson collection being put under the hammer at Keys Auctioneers, visit: bid.keysauctions.co.uk
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