Spitfire designer's possessions bag £90k at auction

Personal belongings owned by Spitfire aircraft designer ReginaldJ Mitchell have achieved £90,000 at auction. The price at the sale in Gloucestershire was six times the expected amount, BBC News reports. A briefcase belonging to Mitchell attracted a successful bid of£15,500, which may interest anyone looking to value their antique treasures.

In addition, a Schneider Trophy miniature won by the designer fetched £27,000. Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney conducted the sale,which was attended by members of Mitchell's family. Regarding the relatives' response to the prices achieved,auctioneer Dominic Winter stated: "What they recognized was how much appreciation people had for their grandfather's reputation and his items, how important he was out there in the wider world and the aviation community in particular."

Elsewhere, those on the lookout for antique paintings might be interested in news that a collection of items from the late author Michael Crichton bagged a total of £62.5 million at Christie's in New York.