KFC founder Colonel Sanders' personal items, former home up for auction

Key Points:

• Colonel Sanders' personal items, including his pressure cooker, black bow tie, watches, and a bust sculpted by his daughter, along with his former home and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, are up for public auction in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
• The property served as the first headquarters of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the late 1950s and was sold by Sanders in 1974; the current auction includes sealed bids for the 5,000-square-foot home named Blackwood Hall and the restaurant.
• Notable auction items include a 1964 personal planner containing a handwritten recipe for herbs and spices, which was previously involved in a legal dispute with KFC, and a 1955 certificate naming Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel, with bids reaching $7,500.
• Auctioneer Bill Menish highlighted Sanders' marketing genius in creating the "colonel" persona, noting that Sanders adopted his iconic attire, including the black bow tie, which was revealed to be clip-on style.
• Online pre-bidding ends with a live auction on Tuesday evening, attracting worldwide interest, with some items like the black bow tie receiving bids over $4,000.