An iconic accessory once owned by Baroness Margaret Thatcher which spawned the term handbagging is set to go under the hammer
The mauve satin evening clutch bag is decorated with a paste-set brooch.
The handbag was made by Rayne, the royal handbag makers.
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It was bought by the current owner in 2015.
A pink version of the same clutch bag was carried by Baroness Thatcher during a state visit to America when Ronald Reagan was president.
Lady Thatcher’s hand accesories became so iconic they spawned the term ‘handbagging’, meaning to brutally crush or humiliate someone.
The accessory on sale is described as offering collectors a rare chance to own a personal possession of the former prime minister, famously nicknamed the Iron Lady, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Expert Alexander Clement said: “There are many divisive figures in modern British history and most of them are former Prime Ministers.
“Few of them, though, leave behind another legacy – the personal possessions that they accumulated and which eventually find their way to the open market as highly sought after collectables and mementos.
“Baroness Thatcher’s possessions are nearly as varied and colourful as her career in politics.
“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.”
In a 1990 interview Baroness Thatcher said the phrase had been invented by journalists.
She quipped: “My handbag is the safest thing in Number 10 – things don’t leak from my handbag – they leak from everywhere else, I might say.”
It goes under the hammer online with Halls in Shrewsbury, Shrops from 3 July to 14 July.
It carries a pre sale estimate of £6,000.
Halls has previously sold two of Baroness Thatcher’s bags – a faux shagreen evening bag by Chaumet for £7,000 in 2023 and a tan crocodile leather travelling bag for £1,500 last year.
Alexander added: “The third bag provides another 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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