From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] BREAKING NEWS: A golden sword sold by the former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange for $550 after his wife said it was "ugly and evil" has fetched $42,275 at auction. Full story PM loses out on thousands over sword gift A golden sword sold by the former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange for $550 after his wife said it was "ugly and evil" has fetched $42,275 at auction. The sword was given to Mr Lange by the Emir of Bahrain, Sheikh Isa Bin Sulman Al-Khalifa, during the Emir's state visit in 1985 and contains about 1kg of 21ct gold and 40 natural pearls. It was bought by millionaire businessman Sir Roger Bhatnagar for the equivalent of L12,400 who had just sold his McLaren F1 car for $1.8m (L530,000). Mr Lange sold the sword in 1991 for the equivalent of L161 in a move criticised by the then Prime Minister Jim Bolger as being in "bad taste" after Lange's wife Margaret Pope said she "didn't want in the house", reports the New Zealand Herald website There was debate about whether the sword belonged to Mr Lange or to the nation because it had been given to him while he was Prime Minister. The controversy was later heightened by a dramatic undervaluation of the sword from a firm of Wellington jewellers, which thought it was gold plate and it was bought by Wellington collector and antique dealer John Barlow. However, Barlow's wife sold the sword in 1994 to cover legal costs after her husband was convicted of the murder of two Wellington men. Sir Roger Bhatnagar won a bidding duel to land the sword when its Wellington owners offered it at Auckland's Peter Webb Galleries who estimated the item would fetch between $30,000 (L8,800) and $36,000 (L10,500). His winning bid of $42,275 with buyer's premium and GST was "a little higher than he wanted to pay," said his bidding agent who added that "he just loves it, and he had to have it." A similar sword, given by the Emir to Governor-General Sir David Beattie, is in the Canterbury Museum and is understood to be insured for $100,000 (L29,400). Last updated: 21:50 Tuesday 19th September 2000. source: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_64108.html Kenneth Pantling Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny. (Edmund Burke�1729-97) Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
