11th Feb, 2020 10:00
Out of the Ordinary
79
AN OAK PLATE CHEST, PURPORTEDLY BELONGING TO LORD LUCAN
AN OAK PLATE CHEST, PURPORTEDLY BELONGING TO LORD LUCAN,
first half of the 20th century, with steel strapping and iron handles, bearing an engraved plate inscribed 'The Rt Honble The Earl of Lucan No. 4', with Cunard White Star labels, stickers and traces of wax seal, the baize-lined interior with an handwritten inventory on a paper label inscribed 'Bought of Mortimer and Hunt, late Storr and Mortimer, Jewellers, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to the Queen',
60cm wide, 37cm deep, 40cm high
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (18th September 1934 - disappeared 8th November 1974) was a British peer with a taste for power boats, Aston Martins and most famously, as his nickname 'Lucky Lucan' suggests, gambling. He became embroiled in a bitter custody battle in the early 1970s when his marriage to Veronica Duncan broke down, which had a dramatic effect on his life. On the evening of 7 November 1974, the children's nanny Sandra Rivett was beaten to death in the Lucan family home. Lady Lucan was also injured and she identified her husband as the assailant. Lucan vanished while the police began their murder investigation, and in his absence he was named as the murderer in the inquest into Rivett's death. Lucan's fate remains a source of national intrigue and there have been hundreds of reported sightings since the murder. He was declared legally dead in 1992, but the certificate only signed in 2014.
Provenance: This chest was one of four which were entered for sale at Christie's some months before the murder of Sandra Rivett and Lucan's disappearance. All four were purchased from the 'Porter's Perks' system by the vendor c.1975.
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Sold for £1,100
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Auction: Out of the Ordinary, 11th Feb, 2020
Viewing
7 February 2020, 9am - 5pm
9 February 2020, 10am - 1pm
10 February 2020, 9am - 5pm
11 February 2020, from 9am
Removal of Lots
All lots should be removed by 5pm on Friday 21 February 2020. Selected lots remaining after this date will be removed to: Perry Removals, Chapel End, Broxted, Essex CM6 2BW. Removal will be at a cost of £20 per lot and storage will be charged at £2 per lot, per day.
Sorry, we cannot calculate a pre-sale automated shipping cost due to the items weight/size.
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