KFC hero Colonel Sanders well-known black bow tie goes on sale in public sale
KFC fans can bid on Colonel Sanders’ famous clip-on bow tie, pressure cooker and former home as a collection of his rare personal items hits auction
KFC fans have been given a finger lickin’ opportunity to own Colonel Sanders’ bowtie(Image: Getty Images)
KFC fans have been given a finger lickin’ opportunity to own a legendary piece of fast-food history, as Colonel Sanders’ iconic personal belongings go under the hammer. A massive treasure trove of memorabilia belonging to Harland Sanders, the face of the worldwide chicken empire, is up for public auction.
The sale also includes his former home and a dinner house he opened after handing over the keys to his fast-food legacy.
Among the rare items on offer are the Colonel’s famous black bow tie, a personal pressure cooker, luxury watches, custom cutlery, an original cash register, a bust sculpted by his daughter and a commercial gas range.
Colonel Sanders’ iconic personal belongings are set to go under the hammer(Image: Roxanne McCann/Getty Images)
Sanders established the Shelbyville estate as the first official headquarters for Kentucky Fried Chicken in the late 1950s.
He later sold the property, which housed his 5,000-square-foot residence known as ‘Blackwood Hall’ and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, to Tommy and Cherry Settle in 1974.
Auctioneer Bill Menish, whose firm The Menish Group is leading the sale, revealed that interest in the legendary founder has been overwhelming.
While Sanders sold KFC to a group of investors in 1964, he continued as the beloved face of the brand for years(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He said: “Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef. The feedback has been worldwide, so we needed to have an auction that would cater to that worldwide audience.”
Menish went on to describe Sanders as a “marketing genius” who deliberately created the famous persona that made him a household name.
He said: “He didn’t dress like that before he was starting to build Kentucky Fried Chicken. He adopted the colonel: the clothes, the bow tie, the glasses, the goatee.”
While Sanders sold KFC to a group of investors in 1964, he continued as the beloved face of the brand for years.
Fans are now eager to grab a piece of his trademark style. Pre-bidding for one of his signature black bow ties has already topped $2,000.
However, auctioneer Jonathan Klunk spilled the beans on a little-known detail about the Colonel’s look. He said: “Not a lot of people know, he did wear clip-ons.”
Perhaps the most dramatic item up for grabs is a personal 1964 planner featuring a handwritten recipe for herbs and spices.
The note sparked an explosive legal lawsuit in the early 2000s when KFC Corp. went to court to keep the planner private.
The legal battle was eventually dropped after tests showed the ingredients were likely for a festive stuffing rather than the secret 11 herbs and spices.
