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A comprehensive collection of personal artifacts chronicling the life of America’s most prominent restaurateur, including his former home and restaurant, will be auctioned off.
From his iconic bow tie to the original cash register, Americana lovers will have the opportunity to own the items that made Colonel Harland Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken world famous.
Here’s what you need to know about the auction and Sanders’ legacy.
Bow ties, record players, butcher block, etc.
Louisville, Kentucky-based auction and real estate firm Menish Group is auctioning off what it calls “an extraordinary collection of personal artifacts, memorabilia, documents, furnishings, and historical items related to Col. Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia Sanders.”
Advance bidding is available and will culminate in a live auction on the evening of July 28 in Shelbyville, about 30 miles east of Louisville.
In all, the auction includes 71 items that belonged to or were associated with Sanders, including one of Sanders’ iconic black bow ties, a 16mm KFC promotional video from 1965, Sanders’ personal briefcase, a commercial stove, several Bibles, and his record player.
Advance bidding on a bust of Sanders created by his daughter reached $4,720 on July 28, and his personal chisel set cost $800. His iconic black bow tie cost $4,400, and his original butcher block hits cost $2,150.
More than a “collection of objects”
Sanders’ former home, known as Blackwood Hall, and the former KFC restaurant, Claudia Sanders Dinner House, are also up for auction. Closed bids for the two properties will be accepted until July 31.
“This is more than just a collection of objects,” Menish Group wrote on its auction site. “This is a preserved chapter of American entrepreneurship, hospitality, and Kentucky history, and it’s open to the public for the first time.”
According to the Menish Group, many of these items have never been on public display and were “preserved through decades of stewardship by the Settle family, close friends of the Saunders, who acquired Blackwood Hall and the Claudia Saunders Dinner House directly from the Saunders.”
From roadside motel to global fame
According to KFC’s official website, Sanders first started selling fried chicken in 1930 at a roadside motel in Kentucky.
But, according to the brand’s website, the “character” of Colonel Sanders took shape in 1950, when he first donned his iconic white suit. Since then, Sanders has worn a suit whenever he appears in public.
He was one of the first to adopt the franchise model, lending the Kentucky Fried Chicken name to restaurant owners across the country starting in 1952.
This model proved so successful that in 1964, Sanders sold the KFC Company to a group of investors and remained the public face of the chain. According to a September 1976 New York Times article, Sanders earned $200,000 a year “for advertising and public relations” for the brand.
“Colonel Sanders was more than just a restaurateur; he was a businessman, inventor, educator, pioneer franchisor and Kentucky’s global ambassador,” Menish Group said. “His image became one of the most recognizable in the world, while his business practices helped shape the modern franchise industry.”
Drew Pittock covers trending news from around the country for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.
