Margaret Thatcher's handbag goes up for auction online

Thatcher's handbag went up for auction on Monday in London

July 3, 2000
Web posted at: 11:41 p.m. EDT (0341 GMT)

LONDON (CNN) -- An unusual piece of political history went up for auction in London on Monday: the handbag of Britain's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Baroness Thatcher, as she now is, donated a black Ferragamo handbag to an on-line auction for breast cancer research.

In an accompanying letter she said the purse "was used for many special occasions," and indeed it became so closely identified with her that the British press dubbed being on the receiving end of one of her characteristic tirades as "being handbagged."

Other celebrities donating their handbags to the auction included model Jerry Hall and Cherie Blair, the wife of current prime minister.

	VIDEO
CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider looks at the political significance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's handbag Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

But the lure of the "iron lady's" trusty Ferragamo was such that on the first day of bidding its price rose to 60,000 pounds ($90,000).

Bidding is open for another nine days at www.handbag.com.

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