THE CONAN DOYLE COLLECTION
SOLD FOR £ 948,545 (ex vat; inc buyers' premium of 19% )

London Wednesday 19th May 2004.....

Christies London auction of Conan Doyle writings and memorabilia fetched almost £1 million, which included the sale of the author's brass name-plate that fetched £18,000. American collectors outbid the locals, including the Sherlock Holmes Museum, to purchase the majority of items.

Lot 8 - Estimated £10,000-£15,000.......... Sold for £18,000.

A manuscript fragment of just one paragraph from the Reigate Squires written on lined notepaper fetched £24,000 (estimated at £5,000-£8,000 lot 15)

The 'Southsea' Notebooks of Conan Doyle (lot 19), compiled while he was a medical doctor in Southsea, reach their estimate of £120,000, and was the most expensive lot sold.

Conan Doyle's passport (lot 74) sold for £3,800 (estimated £800 -£1,200) while his lizard-skinned wallet (lot 128) fetched
£2,800 (estimated at  £3,000 - £5,000).

The auction attracted more media interest than  the sale of major works of art, and will provide an interesting backdrop to the forthcoming auction of a complete manuscript and original Sydney Paget drawing next month (more news on this development to follow shortly)

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The Conan Doyle Collection 19 May 2004  Sale No: 6972 Total sold: 948,545

The following prices in sterling include the buyer's premium of 19% and are rounded to the nearest pound. Lots which did not sell are not shown.

On the date of the sale, exchange rates were approximately as follows:

£ 1 = US$ 1.77, SFr 2.26, Yen 199.59, Eur 1.47, .00, .00

Lot      Price 2         5,377 3         10,157 4         3,585 7         1,434 8         21,510 9         13,145 10        5,975 11        47,800 12        5,975 13        4,780 14        2,987 15        28,680 16        1,912 17        4,541 18        1,792 19        139,650 20        59,750 21        2,151 22        19,120 23        3,107 24        3,107 25        2,270 26        5,975 27        2,629 28        2,390 29        5,377 30        1,015 31        836 33        3,346 35        33,460     Lot      Price 37        53,775 40        657 41        2,270 42A       1,075 43        9,560 43A       2,151 44        5,019 45        3,346 47        23,900 48        23,900 50        4,541 51        776 52        1,075 53        8,365 55        35,850 56        1,553 57        3,824 58        3,585 62        1,075 63        1,075 64        1,912 65        1,792 66        7,170 67        17,925 68        2,390 69        2,031 72        2,270 73        2,031 74        4,541 75        2,629     Lot      Price 76        6,572 77        2,629 79        2,151 80        11,950 82        71,700 83        26,290 85        3,824 86        3,585 87        1,314 88        1,792 89        13,145 90        3,346 91        3,346 93        3,824 95        537 96        7,170 97        8,365 99        1,912 100       956 102       1,553 104       4,780 105       8,365 106       1,553 108       1,673 109       1,314 110       1,434 112       2,270 113       3,346 115       2,151 118       23,900

Lot      Price 119       7,170 121       1,434 122       1,912 124       3,346 125       7,170 127       3,107 128       3,346 129       537 130       776 131       7,170 132       4,780 133       2,390 134       956 135       1,792