Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 31

Colonel Sanders Memorabilia Draws $30,000 for 1964 Planner as Kentucky Home, Restaurant Seek Bids

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 31

Colonel Sanders Memorabilia Draws $30,000 for 1964 Planner as Kentucky Home, Restaurant Seek Bids

Q: If KFC confirmed the $30,000 planner lacks the secret recipe, what mysterious note about the 11 herbs and spices drove the intense bidding war?

The note that sparked the bidding war appears to have been a handwritten page in Sanders’ 1964 planner listing exactly 11 ingredients and their measurements, but without saying what the mixture was for. Auctioneer Bill Menish said the page was especially tantalizing because it “absolutely listed 11 herbs and spices and the quantities required,” creating the obvious link to KFC’s famous recipe. That ambiguity — 11 ingredients, exact amounts, but no label — drove the speculation and helped push the planner to $30,000. KFC had already reviewed the planner during an earlier legal dispute and said the contents did not match its closely guarded fried-chicken formula. Company representatives indicated the handwritten mix was likely for stuffing, not the Original Recipe. Even so, the planner retained major value as a rare working notebook from 1964, the year Sanders sold KFC, recording his travel, expenses, meals and business notes during a pivotal period in the brand’s history. So the mystery was not a confirmed secret recipe, but an unlabeled handwritten blend of 11 ingredients with measurements — just close enough to the legend of “11 herbs and spices” to ignite collector interest.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 31

$30,000 was the top price at a Shelbyville, Kentucky, auction of more than 70 personal items once owned by KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders, with his 1964 planner sparking one of the fiercest bidding wars.
The sale also brought about $23,000 for a 1955 Kentucky Colonel certificate and $8,000 for Sanders' signature black clip-on bow tie, alongside handwritten notes, recipe cards and other memorabilia.
Auctioneer Bill Menish said the planner drew extra attention because a handwritten note on the back listed 11 herbs and spices, adding to collectors' interest in Sanders' business legacy.
That legacy remains on the market beyond the auction: Sanders' former home, Blackwood Hall, and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House are being offered through a sealed bid process, with offers due Friday at midnight.

Sources

Fox News25d ago

Colonel Harland Sanders' Personal Belongings Auctioned in Kentucky, Planner Sells for $30,000

Yahoo! Voices25d ago

Col. Sanders auction, with fried chicken recipe, Nixon letters, nets $300,000

winchestersun.com25d ago

Colonel Sanders Collection Auction Tops $300,000 | Winchester Sun

10 Sources

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