Admiral Nelson letter sold at Charlie Watts auction

A handwritten letter from Admiral Nelson has been snapped up at auction as part of a huge sale of personal belongings once owned by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and his wife Shirley.

The letter, written in 1795, went for £6,000 when it went under the hammer in Exeter, helping push the total sale to £410,000.

It was penned two years before British naval commander Nelson, famous for his victories in the Napoleonic Wars, lost his right arm in battle, with his handwriting described as neat and his signature clear before he later had to switch to writing left handed.

More than 870 items from the couple's home, Halsdon House in Dolton, Devon, were sold following their deaths in 2021 and 2022.

The biggest sale of the day was a 1939 Cadillac Series 61, which made £26,000. Despite owning the car, Watts never drove it as he did not have a licence.

Other items sparked fierce bidding, including a collection of W E Johns books, mainly Biggles first editions, which sold for £2,600. A life sized carved and painted wooden pony model also proved popular, fetching £7,500.

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