Just days before Britain decides its future government, a Perthshire collector has snapped up an artefact once presented to one of the founding fathers of modern politics.
Ian Imrie paid out over £1300 for a carved coconut caddy which once belonged to Scottish socialist Keir Hardie, the father of the modern Labour Party.
The odd item, which has a silver cover and mounts, was presented to Hardie by a prominent leader of the Congress in India during a fact-finding visit to Bengal.
It was expected to fetch at least £350 when it went under the hammer in Glasgow but Mr Imrie explained why he was only too happy to shell out £1326.
“The silver rim of the caddy explains that it was presented to Hardie by the Mahajana Saba in November 1907,” he said.
“I have always picked up caddies over the last 40 years and have a sizeable collection this is certainly a unique addition.
“They never seem to go down in value too much and, as a fan of ethnic art, this one is of particular interest. It also has a very interesting history, which is certainly a bonus.”
Mr Imrie booked a phone at the auction after reading about the carved caddy in The Courier last week.
“When I saw it in The Courier I decided it was something I would really like to have, so I contacted the auctioneer and booked a place on the telephone,” he said.
“The bidding was pretty fierce so I was delighted to finally get it, even if the price was somewhat higher than the estimate.”
Mr Imrie admits that, without the Keir Hardie connection, the caddy would no doubt have fetched a more modest price.Workmanship”The workmanship is probably not of the standard we might expect from a similar period in the western world,” he said.
“However, stuffed inside the caddy was all kinds of information and press cuttings about Hardie which have been fascinating to look at.”
The Bridge of Earn resident insisted the purchase did not reveal anything about his own political persuasions.
“The history is fascinating and the timing does seem appropriate but I have not bought it for any profound political reasons,” Mr Imrie added.
A spokesman for auction house McTear’s agreed the caddy had attracted extra attention as the General Election is imminent.
“It was very timely that this item should come to auction just as we are approaching an election,” he said.
“The connection to Keir Hardie took the caddy on to another level and we received a lot of interest from collectors.
“It is a unique piece and we knew it could easily sell for more than the estimated value.”
James Keir Hardie was born in 1856 in Newhouse, North Lanarkshire.
In 1900 he organised a meeting of various trade unions and socialist groups and they agreed to form a Labour Representative Committee and so the Labour Party was born.
In 1908 Hardie resigned as leader of the Labour Party and went on to spend the rest of his life campaigning for votes for women, self-rule for India and an end to segregation in South Africa.