Celebrity Spotting With The Kray Twins
LEAFING through the Kray twins auction, we note a signed photo of Fern Britton – “To Reg, with very best wishes, Fern X.”
The lot for sale at the Chiswick Auction rooms also includes a signed print of Muhammed Ali, and autographed snap shots of Barbra Streisand, actress Patsy Kensit and singer Mark Knopfler.
There is also a signed copy of Norman Wisdom’s autobiography.
The excitement of meeting a celebrity is not the preserve of the law abiding. The mind’s eye sees an image of Reggie pushing his autograph book towards Hollywood star Streisand and her asking his name.
“Reginald,” he mumbles in a shy way. “Best wishes,” she writes. And Reggie thinks she means it.
Spotting celebrities in London is not so rare. The surprise is not that Reggie and Ronnie collected autographs but that there is no signed picture of Arthur Mullard, Marc Bolan, Harold Pinter, Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, Helen Shapiro or Kenneth Williams.
The autographs seem authentic, but can we be certain given the owners criminal pedigree that they are bona fide?
The murders and the mayhem get the headlines, but the Krays may have enjoyed a profitable sideline in the memorabilia game. In a lock up on Homerton, east London, teams of forgers authenticated segments of the Holy Grail, boxed the actual World Cup final football as kicked to glory by Sir Geoff Hurst and decanted vials of Henry Copper’s spittle.
All they then need so is wait until the star has penned so many autographs they have lost track of them or else die.
Now, of course there are thousands upon thousands of celebrities at large waiting to be recognised.
Anorak spent yesterday approaching people at random and asking “Aren’t you…?”
A whopping 89% of those approached said they were and offered to sign our autograph book. The one regret is that we did not ask each to print their name in block capitals next to each autograph as an aide de memoire.
We have no idea who they are but when the time is ripe, Anorak shall place the collection in auction and let experts spot what gems they will…
Note: A 9-carat pair of gold cufflinks that belonged to Ronald “Ronnie” Kray, the younger twin of the U.K.’s most-notorious gangland criminals, fetched 10,000 pounds ($14,000) in London, the priciest lot at a sale of the duo’s items.
Posted: 27th, January 2009 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
