Gandhis glasses,pocket watch up for auction

A pair of circular metal-rimmed glasses of Mahatma Gandhi,his sandals and pocket watch will be up for auction in New York.

A pair of circular metal-rimmed glasses of Mahatma Gandhi,his sandals and pocket watch will be up for auction in New York. The items are of huge interest and expected to 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 about 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.

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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,said: This is a truly historic sale of Gandhis possessions. Of course he didnt have much,so anything of his that comes up for sale is worth that much more.