KFC Founder’s Memorabilia Sells for Thousands at Kentucky Auction

An auction in Shelbyville, Kentucky drew bidders from across the nation and online participants Tuesday as more than 70 items belonging to KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders went on the block. The sale included professional documents, handwritten notes, recipe cards, and Sanders’ recognizable black clip-on bow tie, offering collectors a chance to acquire pieces of fast-food industry history.

The evening’s standout lot was Sanders’ 1964 planner, which commanded $30,000 from bidders. A Kentucky Colonel certificate dated 1955 went for approximately $23,000, while his iconic bow tie realized $8,000. According to Bill Menish, owner and lead auctioneer with The Menish Group, the planner generated substantial interest partly because of a mysterious handwritten notation on its reverse side listing 11 herbs and spices.

Menish noted that Sanders’ introduction of the pressure cooker to his restaurant operations reduced cooking time from 30 minutes to 10 minutes, fundamentally transforming his ability to compete in the emerging fast-food sector. Many items in the collection illustrated how Sanders built Kentucky Fried Chicken into one of the world’s most recognizable restaurant brands.

Elizabeth Pitchford, a family member of Colonel Sanders, attended the auction to witness her grandfather’s belongings pass to new collectors. “The items that have been around for so many years, and it’s just been overwhelming,” she said of the experience.

Beyond the memorabilia sale, Sanders’ former residence, Blackwood Hall, and his wife’s establishment, the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, are being offered through a sealed bid process with offers due Friday at midnight. The Settle family has owned both properties since 1974.