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Margaret Thatcher auction nets unexpected $6.8 million

FILE - A Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 photo from files showing a Christie's employee holding the red leather Prime Ministerial Dispatch Box at the auction house Christie's in London. The Iron Lady is auction gold. Speeches, books and outfits belonging to late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — including the Iron Lady's wedding dress — have soared above their estimated prices at a London auction. Thatcher's red prime ministerial dispatch box sparked a bidding war and sold for 242,500 pounds ($365,000). It had been estimated to reach between 3,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) FILE - A Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 photo from files showing a Christie's employee holding the red leather Prime Ministerial Dispatch Box at the auction house Christie's in London. The Iron Lady is auction gold. Speeches, books and outfits belonging to late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — including the Iron Lady's wedding dress — have soared above their estimated prices at a London auction. Thatcher's red prime ministerial dispatch box sparked a bidding war and sold for 242,500 pounds ($365,000). It had been estimated to reach between 3,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

By Associated Press December 17, 2015 1 min read

LONDON (AP) – The lady’s certainly for earning.

An auction of artifacts belonging to late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – including her signature handbags – has raised 4.5 million pounds ($6.8 million), many times its pre-sale estimate.

Christie’s sold more than 400 items through a live and online auction. It said Thursday that the sales attracted bids from 44 countries.

A model of a bald eagle presented to Thatcher by Cold War ally President Ronald Reagan sold for 266,500 pounds ($404,014), while her red ministerial dispatch box fetched 242,500 pounds ($367,630).

Another top lot was a silver bowl engraved with one of Thatcher’s most famous phrases: “The lady’s not for turning.”

Branded the “Iron Lady” for her steely determination, Thatcher governed Britain between 1979 and 1990. She died in April 2013.