London – Christie’s will offer Mrs Thatcher, Part III, an online sale which will be open for bidding between 2 and 9 May 2019. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s historic election as the United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister (1979-1990), this constitutes the third and final part in a trilogy of auctions held as part of the arrangements following the death of Mrs Thatcher in 2013. Comprising 170 lots, spanning items relating to Mrs Thatcher’s time in office, personal possessions, her ‘uniform’ jewellery, clothes and handbags, estimates range from £100 to £15,000. The sale is now available to view online in full.

The sales began in 2015 when Part I and Part II attracted a global audience, selling 100% and totalling £4,516,038/ $6,831,487/ €6,189,443. Part III will provide further public and private insights into the trajectory of a political titan, presenting unique opportunities, across price levels, for collectors around the world to acquire property from the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 20th century.

Adrian Hume-Sayer, Director, Specialist, Private Collections: “The market’s response to the historic sales in 2015 - both the online sale and the traditional live auction - was remarkable, with the overall result for The Mrs Thatcher Collection Part I and II far exceeding pre-sale expectations. Clients from all over the world seized the opportunity to acquire items which gave insights into the life of Britain’s first female Prime Minister, who was a political giant on the world stage. In May 2019, Christie’s third and final sale in this trilogy of auctions coincides with the 40th anniversary of Mrs Thatcher’s historic election, offering collectors, admirers and enthusiasts with one last chance to bid for a memento of ‘The Iron Lady’.”

Evocative lots of note include her ‘uniform’ jewellery, comprising a hardstone bracelet and amethyst ring, gifts from her husband, Denis, which were always worn alongside a pearl necklace. The ring or bracelet were worn for almost all occasions, from the day Mrs Thatcher entered Number 10 Downing Street in May 1979, to her historic meetings with global figures - including Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela – and beyond.

The sale continues Christie’s history of offering the property of notable figures spanning royalty, the arts, culture and politics for over 250 years, since 1766, including the landmark sale James Christie himself negotiated of the magnificent art collection of Great Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole to Catherine the Great in 1779.