Internet entrepreneurs were cashing in on Maggie Thatcher’s death yesterday (Mon) by flogging memorabilia on auction site eBay.
Signed autographed copies of her memoirs, collectable newspapers and even a bizarre ‘Thatcher nut cracker’ are up for grabs.
Other items include a cheeky Golly Badge featuring a blacked-up caricature of the former PM drinking a pint of milk – a dig about her 1971 policy which led her being branded a ‘Milk snatcher’ – which is expected to fetch #41.
A life-size cardboard cut-out of the Iron Lady wearing a green suit and carrying her trademark black leather handbag is on sale for #34.99.
A Margaret Thatcher Falklands Mug which shows the actress Meryl Streep, who played the former PM in The Iron Lady film, leaning over a war map, is on sale with a starting bid of #6.99.
A signed Christmas Card featuring a photograph of Thatcher standing with husband Denis in Downing Street in the 1980s is expected to fetch #160.
A four-piece coaster set featuring pictures of the former PM are being sold for #6.99 while a rare Spitting Image doll from 1987 is being auctioned for #200.
Meanwhile a glazed white Toby Jug featuring Thatcher sitting on a high-backed throne is currently attracting bids of #89.
Internet entrepreneur Gavin Hodge, 30, from Warwick, who has made thousands of pounds from buying and selling collectable items from eBay, said: “It is always been a reality that when someone high profile dies, memorabilia associated with them goes up in value.
“Signed autographed copies of books, cards and letters will probably fetch the highest prices while novelty goods like dolls and toys will probably go up 20 or 30 per cent.
“Some people might think it’s ghoulish for people to profit from someone’s death but if you look back in history, masterpieces only got valuable after the artist had died.
“As a champion of the free market, I think Maggie would probably have approved.”
Apparently, MAGGIE THATCHER’S DEAD HUSBAND’S WW2 GERMAN MILITARY COAT is also up for grabs too . . . for US$15MILLION DOLLARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this not the very same Denis Thatcher (World War 2) German Military Coat which 2 Russian Billionaires (Oligarchs) were fighting over about 2 years ago ? From what I understand , the eBay Seller eventually turned down an offer of £250000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds) for it. Rumour even has it that one of the Competing Oligarchs was Boris Berezovsky , who recently died in the UK.