KFC founder's bow tie, planner fetch big auction bids

Colonel Sanders' signature clip-on bow tie sold for $8,000 and his 1964 personal planner fetched $30,000 at a Shelbyville, Kentucky, auction of KFC memorabilia. A 1955 honorary Kentucky Colonel certificate brought $23,000, while sealed bids for Claudia Sanders Dinner House and his former home remained open through Friday.

Key Takeaways

• Sanders' 1964 planner was the night's top lot at $30,000.
• His clip-on black bow tie—the style in the KFC logo—sold for $8,000.
• A 1955 honorary Kentucky Colonel certificate sold for $23,000.
• Sealed bids for Claudia Sanders Dinner House and Blackwood Hall ran through Friday.
• Other lots included pressure cookers, cutlery, a daughter-sculpted bust, and his 1966 frying patent.

The public sale of personal items tied to Harland Sanders, the founder of the chain once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, drew worldwide interest in Shelbyville. Auction organizers framed the event as a rare chance to own pieces of a brand face still recognized decades after his death in 1980.

For more coverage of high-value sales and celebrity estates, browse BlasterPost's Net Worth & Wealth hub.

What sold at the Colonel Sanders auction?

According to AP News, the largest sale Tuesday night was $30,000 for Sanders' personal 1964 planner. It included a handwritten list of herbs and spices that was the subject of an early 2000s lawsuit filed by the KFC Corp. to keep the contents private.

KFC later dropped the case, saying after reviewing the planner the ingredients did not match Sanders' secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and were likely for a stuffing recipe. Auctioneer Bill Menish of The Menish Group called it "what a keepsake," and at one point grew so enthused he knocked over the camera.

A clip-on black ribbon bow tie worn by Sanders sold early for $8,000. Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk noted that not many people know Sanders wore clip-ons. Along with the white suit, glasses, and goatee, the tie helped define his public look—and the image still used in the KFC logo.

A 1955 certificate naming Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel was among other top sales at $23,000. Also sold were pressure cookers, a cutlery set, a bust sculpted by his daughter, and his 1966 patent titled "Process of Producing Fried Chicken Under Pressure."

Why does this KFC memorabilia matter?

Menish called Sanders "the original celebrity chef" and a "marketing genius" for creating the colonel character. He said Sanders did not dress that way before building Kentucky Fried Chicken, then adopted the clothes, bow tie, glasses, and goatee as the brand grew.

Sanders is credited with helping reshape fast food through pressure frying—combining pressure cooking and deep frying to cut cook time while keeping chicken juicy and breading crispy. That technical legacy sat alongside the personal wardrobe and papers now changing hands.

Local reporting from WLKY listed related artifacts also offered for bidding, including a Masonic ring, monogrammed cufflinks, and suspenders, alongside the planner, bow tie, and Kentucky Colonel commission certificate.

Are the Claudia Sanders Dinner House and home for sale?

Yes. Sealed bids were being taken through Friday for Claudia Sanders Dinner House and Sanders' former 5,000-square-foot home, Blackwood Hall. The property package also included the restaurant and event business, furniture, fixtures, intellectual property, and trademarks, per WLKY.

Sanders established the Shelbyville site as the first headquarters of his restaurant business in the late 1950s. He sold the property—including the home and dinner house—to Tommy and Cherry Settle in 1974; they have run the restaurant since. Sanders sold KFC in 1964 to investors but stayed on as a brand ambassador.

Menish said feedback was worldwide, so the auction had to cater to a global audience. For collectors and brand historians, the sales put a dollar figure on pieces of the tough-talking, finger-lickin' persona that still sells chicken under the KFC name.