Fresh from finding a pair of sandals once owned by Lawrence of Arabia, shoe buckles believed to have been worn by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar have surfaced in the same auction.
The former made a mid-estimate hammer price of £2600 on December 20 (see ATG online preview for the full background).
The shoe buckles sold for a top-estimate £5000.
The c.1800 buckles, which come with provenance attributing them to Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, were presented in a framed box and come with a document which says: “These Buckles are presented to Alexander Davison Esq of Swarland Park as a mark of my grateful respect for the many obligations. He has conferred upon me - sent from London this 2 Aug 1828 … These buckles were presented to me by the family of the late Lord Nelson … he wore [them] at the ever memorable Battle of Trafalgar R. Ro[berts?] 46 Piccadilly.”
Shoe buckles believed to have been worn by Nelson at Trafalgar, according to an accompanying document, which sold for £5000 at the Hansons December 20 auction.
