Tipu Sultan's sword auctioned in London, sold for one crore

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London, 28 October 2023, Saturday

The sword of Tipu Sultan, who ruled parts of Karnataka, was auctioned by Christie's Auction House in London.

Tipu Sultan fought a war against the British in Mysore. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in 1799, two of his own swords were gifted to the British or were seized by the British in the name of gift. One sword was awarded to Charles Macwes and the other to Earl Conwallis. Cornwallis became the Governor of British India in 1786 and led the British army during the Mysore War.

Once this sword resided in the bedroom of Tipu Sultan. The first of the two swords gifted to the British was sold for Rs 141 crore on May 23 this year. While the second sword passed through the hands of different people, it finally came into the hands of the Elliott family of Britain. He put this sword up for auction.

Its base price was kept at 15 to 20 crore rupees. Since the price was kept so high, it is believed that no one came forward to buy the sword. Due to which its base price was reduced and finally it is known to have been sold for one lakh pounds i.e. about one crore rupees. The name of the buyer of the sword has been kept private by the auction house. The Elliott family will use the money to repair their estate.

It is believed that due to the war between Israel and Hamas and high interest rates, no one was willing to pay much for the sword and it was eventually forced to sell the sword at auction at a low price.