Jane Austen Ring Goes for $200,000 More Than Estimate
The Jane Austen ring reported earlier this week sold for more than five times Sotheby’s estimate.
A turquoise and gold ring that once belonged to Jane Austen went to an anonymous private bidder for $236,557 during an English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations event that the auction house held in London on Tuesday, July 10. Sotheby’s initial guidance on the ring, which sold over the telephone, was $46,000.
“The price achieved today and the huge level of interest it has generated is a remarkable testament to the author’s enduring appeal and her place at the heart of our literary and cultural heritage.” Sotheby’s manuscripts specialist Dr Gabriel Heaton noted after the auction.
Eight bidders battled for the ring that had been passed down in Austen’s family for nearly 200 years and was offered for sale for the first time
Austen left her jewelry to her sister, Cassandra. A letter accompanying this particular piece, a cabochon stone set in 14-karat gold, was dated November 1863, some 46 years after the author died, and was auctioned with it. The letter was written by the author’s sister-in-law, Eleanor Austen, to her niece, Caroline Austen.
“. . . the enclosed ring once belonged to your Aunt Jane,” the letter read. “It was given to me by your Aunt Cassandra as soon as she knew that I was engaged to your uncle. I bequeath it to you. God bless you
“That this ring only surfaced recently makes me wonder what else of hers is out there that we don’t know about,” Paula Byrne, an Austen expert and author of “Jane Austen and the Theatre,” told TODAY.com.
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Jane Austen Ring Goes to Auction at Sotheby’s
Ring that once belonged to Jane Austen sells for $236,557