Colonel Sanders' memorabilia, home and restaurant auctioned in Kentucky

Personal items belonging to KFC founder Harland "Colonel" Sanders are being sold at a public auction in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The auction includes his iconic black bow tie, pressure cooker, watches, original cash register, cutlery set, a bust sculpted by his daughter, a 1966 pressure‑frying patent and his former 5,000‑square‑foot home (Blackwood Hall) along with the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. The Menish Group, represented by Bill Menish, is handling the sale and online pre‑bidding ends before a live, in‑person auction on Tuesday night, with sealed bids for the property to continue through Friday. The most valuable piece, a 1964 leather‑bound planner containing a handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, fetched $30,000; the clip‑on black bow tie sold for $8,000, and another bow tie fetched just over $2,000. Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk noted the bow tie’s clip‑on design, saying “Not a lot of people know; he did wear clip‑ons.” The planner was previously the subject of a KFC corporate lawsuit that was later dropped after the company determined the list did not match its secret blend. The sale has attracted bidders worldwide, reflecting Sanders’ lasting brand legacy.