London auction brings historic photographs & relics from Captain Scott in from the cold

Pieces from the famous Antarctic expedition defied pre-sale estimates to sell well at Christie's

Most people know the tragic story of Captain Scott's journey to the South Pole in 1910.

Despite reaching the Pole itself, Scott and his men never made it back to safety and froze to death in the bitter cold of the Antarctic.

Wright's skis

But what many may not realised is that they were discovered by a man called Captain Charles Seymour Wright, who as glaciologist on the journey had set out to find the team.

What collectors and history enthusiasts would have certainly not known is that Wright kept an extensive collection of photographs and relics from the event.

And these pieces have today been auctioned at Christie's as part of an "Exploration and Travel" sale in London.

The collection included skis, scientific instruments and other fascinating pieces from the ill fated expedition.

These fascinating artefacts have helped to create a picture of the doomed and now infamous journey taken by Captain Scott and his men.

Rare manuscripts, sledding gear and even the skis featured in the sale which ultimately proved popular with collectors in attendance.

One of the top lots of the sale was Robert Scott's Union Jack flag from the mission. This piece carried an estimated price of £60,000 ($93,443) but sold for £73,250 ($113,904)

Another fascinating sale saw a detailed and previously unpublished journal from the northern party of Scott's last expedition realise a price of £46,850 ($72,880).

Images from the expedition also proved very popular with collectors, with many lots exceeding their estimated price.

A collection of 48 photographs featuring Scott, Wright and the fateful team of explorers came up for auction with a pre-sale target of £5,000 - 7,000 ($7,780 - 10,890). This lot sold for £22,500 ($35,000).

Even more impressively, 203 slides from the mission sold for £27,500 ($42,780) against an estimate of £4,000-6,000 ($6,220 - 9,330) whilst a similarly valued collection of 97 glass negatives from the doomed trip reached £23,750

Wright's wooden skis from the expedition also defied the predicted price of £6,000 - 8,000 ($9,330 -12,440) to sell for £10,625 ($16,530).

Overall, the sale was a resounding success and provided a timely reminder of the place that Scott's tragedy still holds in the minds of collectors, investors and history enthusiasts alike.