Gandhi's glasses, sandals up for sale in New York auction

A pair of the distinctive circular metal-rimmed glasses of Mahatma Gandhi, along with his sandals and pocket watch, will be on sale at an auction in New York.

The items are of huge interest and expected to well exceed the estimate of 30,000 pounds at the March 4-5 auction, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The sandals were given to a British army officer in 1931 prior to the Round Table talks in London that were held to discuss Indian self-rule, the report said.

Gandhi gave the spectacles to an army colonel with the words, "These gave me the vision to free India." His Zenith pocket watch was given to his grand-niece, Abha Gandhi.

Gandhi was pictured wearing the pocket watch, made in 1910, and it is expected to be the highlight of the lot. A bowl and plate that were given by the great leader to his grand-niece are also for sale.

The items have letters of provenance and were collected by an unnamed vendor who is now selling them. Michelle Halpern, from Antiquorum Auctioneers in New York, which is staging the auction, said, "This is a truly historic sale of Gandhi's possessions. Of course he didn't have much, so anything of his that comes up for sale is worth that much more."

"The glasses were given in the 1930s to Colonel H A Shiri Diwan Nawab who asked Gandhi for inspiration," Halpern told the paper.

"They were passed down through the colonel's family and we have a letter of provenance from his grandson. The sandals were given to a British military officer in 1931 prior to the Round Table talks in London."

"The items were put together by a collector who is now selling them and there has already been a great deal of interest. I'm sure the items will sell for more than the estimate," he said.