Betty Bothroyd’s black leather House of Commons dispatch box, £5200 at SAS.
Special Auction Services’ sale on January 23 comprised more than 220 lots of jewellery, clothes, furnishings and parliamentary memorabilia, with proceeds going to charity.
Among the most competed items was an official programme for the inaugural ceremonies of John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson from their Inauguration Day on January 20, 1961. It is signed on the front cover ‘To Betty Boothroyd, with best wishes, John F Kennedy’. Estimated at £300-500, it hammered down at £5800.
A signed official programme for the Inauguration Day on January 20, 1961 of John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson, £5800 at SAS.
Another top lot was Boothroyd’s black leather House of Commons dispatch box bearing the Elizabeth II cypher and the Betty Boothroyd name in gold lettering (pictured top). It took £5200 against an estimate of £200-300.
Boothroyd served as MP for West Bromwich from 1973-2000, as Speaker from 1992-2000 and from 2001 became a baroness and sat in the Lords.
A gold and diamond House of Commons’ Speakers brooch, £2000 at SAS.
Other top prices included a gold and diamond House of Commons’ Speakers brooch which sold for a top-estimate £2000. Another high price was bid for a group of Asian ceramics which took £2400 against an estimate of £100-150.
Boothroyd’s letter patent with notice that she should now sign and be referred to as ‘Baroness’ made £1650, while her Grant of Arms dated 1993 sold for £1100.
Other highlights in the jewellery section includedan Edwardian 12-pointed diamond set star brooch which sold for £3800 and a platinum and diamond tennis bracelet at £3200.
A large certificated round brilliant cut diamond solitaire ring, weighing 9.97cts, estimated at £70,000-100,000, did not sell at auction. However, discussions are being held with a potential buyer.
Friends and admirers
SAS director Thomas Forrester said: “Friends of hers were excited to attend the auction and people that admired her enjoyed bidding in the live auction and they are all thrilled to be going away with their own mementos of her.
“Even the bellringers from St Margaret’s Church Westminster Abbey were able to attend and buy souvenirs of Baroness Boothroyd.”
The sale took a total of £67,665 with all proceeds going to her chosen charities.
