#50 • Collection of Three Colonel Sanders Promotional Jewelry Pieces

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

High bid $1,500.00

Status: Sold

Description Collection of three Kentucky Fried Chicken promotional jewelry items featuring the likeness of Colonel Harland Sanders. The lot includes a boxed Colonel Sanders pin, a Colonel Sanders tie tack with safety chain, and a portrait-form Colonel Sanders lapel pin. Each piece displays the iconic image of Sanders that became synonymous with the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand. Produced as promotional, employee recognition, or franchise-related accessories, these items reflect the company's use of wearable memorabilia to reinforce brand identity during the twentieth century. Historical Significance As Kentucky Fried Chicken expanded from a regional restaurant operation into a global franchise system, Colonel Sanders remained its most recognizable representative. Promotional accessories bearing his likeness were distributed through corporate programs, franchise networks, employee recognition initiatives, and special events, serving as tangible symbols of affiliation with the KFC organization. Story & Context These small accessories illustrate the personal and corporate branding that helped establish Colonel Sanders as one of the most recognizable figures in American business history. While modest in scale, such items were often retained as keepsakes by franchise operators, employees, and associates connected to the company, making surviving examples increasingly collectible today. Provenance From the preserved collection associated with Colonel Harland Sanders and Claudia Sanders, maintained by the Settle family following their acquisition of Blackwood Hall and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House directly from Colonel and Claudia Sanders in 1974. Condition Various conditions with light wear, handling marks, and age-related surface wear consistent with use and storage. Box present. Sold as found.