Tipu Sultan’s majestic sword has fetched a record price of £505,250 at an auction by Sotheby’s here even though its initial estimate was a modest £50,000 to £70,000. In 2003, the 200-year-old sword was bought with much fanfare by liquor baron Vijay Mallya. It has now been sold for a record price.
Sotheby’s described the item as: “A Very Rare Sword with Tiger-Form Hilt, from the Palace Armoury of Tipu Sultan, India, circa 1782-99, with 19th century silver-mounted Scabbard.” Sotheby’s said there were a very small number of sword hilts, such as Tipu Sultan’s auctioned sword, which have a pronounced tiger theme that was a mark of Tipu’s ownership.
