Following
a four-month marketing campaign, Bonhams’ bicentenary Sale of
Nelson and the Royal Navy (1750-1815), held on 5 July 2005 at
101 New Bond Street, London was a phenomenal success, achieving
nearly 2-million. With bidders flooding through the doors of
the saleroom, eager to walk away with a little piece of history,
Bonhams’ specialists saw prices soaring culminating in three
world records.

Top price in the sale was the first world-record auction price
– 179,200 paid by an anonymous telephone bidder for an exceptional
cased Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund Trafalgar Sword and Belt of 100
Value. It belonged to one of Nelson’s "band of brothers",
Captain Charles Tyler of HMS Tonnant and was sold by his direct
descendents.

A further Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund Trafalgar Sword – also of
100 Value – awarded to Captain John Conn of HMS Dreadnought,
fetched second highest price in the sale. One lucky bidder walked
away with it for 134,400.

The second world record auction price achieved by Bonhams today
was 95,200. This figure was paid for an oil painting depicting
The Battle of Trafalgar by the contemporary British artist John
Steven Dews, who failed his A-level art exam.

The third world record auction price was secured by Bonhams
for a Naval Gold Medal awarded to Captain Eliab Harvey of HMS
Temeraire. It was bought by an anonymous bidder in the saleroom
for 95,200.

As collectors competed with one another in a dramatic bidding
battle, this stunning work blew the previous world auction record
price for a painting by the artist (84,000) right out of the
water.

Jon Baddeley, Group Head of Collectors’ Sales at Bonhams said:
"There couldn’t be a more exciting time to buy Nelson memorabilia.
We have seen some extraordinary results today as people invest
in British history and England’s greatest hero."

It wasn’t just private collectors who bought at Bonhams’ sale
today. The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust in Kent bought a
highly important carved limewood model of the figurehead of
HMS Queen Charlotte – the King’s flagship prior to HMS Victory.
The model is one of only a handful examples left in the world
of its type.

Richard Holdsworth, Museum and Heritage Director of Chatham
Historic Dockyard Trust said: "The model is one of the
most important historic artefacts relating to the history of
Chatham Dockyard to be discovered in recent years and we are
delighted to have secured it at auction today."

For more details visit the Bonhams
web site.