#21 • Colonel Harland Sanders Personal Briefcase with Business Papers, Correspondence, Financial Records, and Travel Ephemera

Part of The Colonel Sanders Artifact Collection (live auction by The Menish Group Auction & Real Estate)

High bid $3,500.00

Status: Sold

DESCRIPTION Black hard-sided combination briefcase containing a diverse group of documents, correspondence, financial records, receipts, checks, promotional materials, and personal travel-related items associated with Colonel Harland Sanders. Contents include business correspondence addressed to Sanders, Kentucky Fried Chicken payroll and financial documents, contractor invoices, entertainment industry residual paperwork, banking materials, hotel-related ephemera, matchbooks, and assorted records dating primarily from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sold as a single lot with contents as found. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE This archive provides a glimpse into the daily business and personal affairs of Colonel Sanders during the years following the sale of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Rather than documenting a single major corporate event, the collection illustrates the routine activities, financial dealings, travel, endorsements, and ongoing business relationships that remained part of Sanders' life as an internationally recognized spokesman and entrepreneur. STORY & CONTEXT By the early 1970s, Colonel Sanders had become one of the most recognizable public figures in American business. Although no longer the owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, he remained deeply involved in promotional activities, public appearances, licensing matters, and personal business ventures. The contents of this briefcase reflect the wide range of obligations and opportunities that accompanied that role. Included are documents relating to construction and contractor work, Kentucky Fried Chicken payroll records, entertainment residual paperwork tied to commercial appearances, international correspondence, banking records, and travel-related materials, including items from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Together, the contents provide an unusually personal snapshot of the administrative and everyday realities of Sanders' life during a period when his public image had become known around the world. PROVENANCE Originating from the Blackwood Hall collection, the briefcase remained within the possession of the Settle family following their acquisition of the property directly from Colonel and Claudia Sanders. The briefcase and contents were preserved among business records, correspondence, memorabilia, and personal effects associated with Colonel Sanders prior to their public offering. CONDITION NOTES Briefcase exhibits substantial wear consistent with regular use, including scuffing, surface abrasions, discoloration, residue from old labels, and wear to hardware and handle. Contents show varying degrees of age-related toning, creasing, staple holes, folds, staining, and handling wear. Documents have not been individually inventoried and are sold as found.