Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens' dog collar fetches $11.5k

Forget about the A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist author - his dog was the star at this auction...

Here's an unusual way to remember one of the English language's greatest authors: an inscribed collar once worn by one of Charles Dickens' dogs auctioned on Tuesday.

Dating from the 19th century, the leather and brass dog collar realised $11,590 at Bonhams in New York.

Remarkably, the final hammer price of the collar - measuring 23 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide - was almost twice its $4,000-6,000 estimate.

Dickens' 19th century leather and brass collar realised $11,590

The one-of-a-kind collar is inscribed with Dickens' name, estate and town.

While the collar's provenance is assured, mystery surrounds which of Dickens' dogs wore it - although its size suggests it was likely to have been one of his Newfoundlands, or a St Bernard.

Unlikely as it sounds, the dog collar isn't the most unusual piece of memorabilia attached to the A Christmas Carol author to go under the hammer in recent months...

A historic ivory toothpick once owned by Dickens sold to a lucky collector last year, for $9,150.

What's more, three strands of hair from the author's head are on the market and available to collectors, priced £1,750 ($2,890).

Believe it or not, collectible hair is big business. For instance, a single strand of hair from the head of Elvis Presley sold for £1,055 ($1,750) against an estimate of just £250 ($420).

Elsewhere, a less unusual example of Charles Dickens memorabilia available on the market is a cheque signed by the author for £21, not an insignificant sum in 1861, valued at £2,250 ($3,710).

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Image: Bonhams