A bicycle ridden by Lady Diana Spencer sold for £9,200 at Farnon & Lakes auction in Thame. The bicycle’s new home will be in a private collection in Hertfordshire, and was among a number of lots up for sale at the Masonic Hall in Thame last Saturday.
A spokesperson for Farnon & Lake auctioneers said:
“Lady Diana Spencer’s bicycle was brought to us by a private collector, who had debated its sale for quite some time – wishing for it to find a home where it would be fully appreciated but unsure of the best way to go about it. He approached us and we walked him through the process of bringing the bicycle to auction and we set a guide of £1,500. In the week leading up to the auction we received significant interest online with a number of bids received before the weekend was upon on us. On the day we had an internet bidder and a telephone bidder vying for being the new owner of the bicycle, with bids going back and forth rapidly in an extremely exciting exchange. The hammer finally came down on the bicycle at a bid value of £9,200 which we were all absolutely delighted with.
The new owner is a business man from Hertfordshire who heard about the bicycle coming up for auction and was aware that there has already been a lot of interest from buyers overseas. He felt very strongly that the bicycle should not leave the country and should stay in England. During our conversations with him we discovered that he, like a very large number of people, was very fond of Diana and he viewed her firmly as The People’s Princess. The gentleman, upon successfully bidding for the bicycle, explained that he owns a building dedicated to significant cultural memorabilia and that this building is where the bicycle will be stored and displayed for his personal enjoyment. It will be lovingly preserved for future generations and is now regarded as a family heirloom. He went on to say that he has no interest or desire to sell the bicycle to cash in or make any form of profit from it. It was purchased solely for the preservation of a key moment in the life of Lady Diana Spencer just prior to her becoming the Princess of Wales, and he is delighted to have played his part in preserving it for the future.
The excitement surrounding the auction was such that demand on the day has led to us adding another date in the diary for the next Thame auction, so make sure you are registered and ready for Saturday 14th April 2018! There are already some fascinating lots in discussion, with further announcements to come very soon.
For details of all future Farnon & Lake auctions and to talk to the team about the Private Brokerage service available, please do visit www.farnonandlake.com, email on [email protected] or call directly on 0207 415 7050.
We have had a number of discussions post-auction with people who either watched and missed out or weren't able to be there on the day with specific requirements for pieces. We are always happy to assist with sourcing bespoke pieces as part of our Private Brokerage service."
