Thatcher clutch bag expected to sell for thousands

An evening bag once owned by Margaret Thatcher is expected to sell for thousands of pounds at auction in Shropshire.

The mauve clutch, decorated with a hand-cut glass brooch, is lined up to sell for between £4,000 to £6,000 at the Halls Auction House in Shrewsbury.

The auction runs from Friday until 14 July, and the bag is being sold alongside a mauve silk printed scarf by Aquascutum.

"Baroness Thatcher's possessions are nearly as varied and colourful as her career in politics," said Alexander Clement, senior general valuer at Halls.

"Her taste in clothing and extensive wardrobe was legendary, rivalling that of members of the Royal family.

"One accessory in particular became a leitmotif of the 'Iron Lady' and that was her handbags.

"So important did this accessory become that it spawned a new verb, 'handbagging', meaning to brutally crush or humiliate someone."

The bag was made by royal handbag makers, Rayne.

A pink version of the same clutch bag was carried by Thatcher during a state visit to America, when Ronald Reagan was president.

It is not clear if the ex-prime minister was ever photographed with this handbag at a special occasion.

Clement added that the bag provided an opportunity for "collectors of fashion, admirers of Baroness Thatcher, or aficionados of modern British history to attain one of these legendary objects."

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