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KFC founder Colonel Sanders' personal items are up for auction
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- Personal items of KFC founder Colonel Sanders, including his pressure cooker, black bow tie, and other memorabilia, are being auctioned publicly, along with his former home and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
- The Shelbyville property served as the first headquarters for Sanders' restaurant business in the late 1950s and was sold in 1974 to Tommy and Cherry Settle, who continue to operate the dinner house.
- Notable auction items include Sanders' personal watches, an original cash register, a bust sculpted by his daughter, and a 1964 planner containing a handwritten recipe initially thought to be his secret herbs and spices blend.
- The auction has attracted worldwide interest, with high bids reaching $7,500 for a 1955 honorary Kentucky Colonel certificate and over $4,000 for one of Sanders' signature black bow ties, which were revealed to be clip-ons.
- Sanders, who sold KFC in 1964 but remained its brand ambassador, is recognized as a marketing genius for creating the iconic "Colonel" persona, including his distinctive attire and image.
