Personal possessions of the gangland criminals Kray twins raised more than £100,000 when they went under the hammer

Personal possessions of the gangland criminals raised more than £100,000 when they went under the hammer on Monday night.Two pairs of cufflinks fetched nearly £15,000, while a letter from the artist Francis Bacon to Ronnie sold for £7,400.
One buyer alone spent more than £50,000.Photographs signed by musicians Barbara Streisand and Mark Knopfler, actress Patsy Kensit and TV presenter Fern Britton, raised a total of £1,310.Other goods included a signed copy of comedian Norman Wisdom's autobiography, dedicated to Ronnie, clothes and poems by the brothers.Also among Chiswick Auctions's 160 lots to sell were Ronnie's revered oil paintings, popular with collectors.The notorious pair, who were jailed for life for the murder of Jack McVitie in 1969, dominated London's crime scene in the 1950s and 60s.
They went on to develop a cult-like status among the public and celebrities alike.
A spokesman for Chiswick Auctions William Rouse said: "It was extraordinary, and there's been an extraordinary group of people in the sale room."The interest has been phenomenal from the beginning."A solicitor's letter to Reggie Kray explaining his refusal for parole in May 1995 was included in the sale, making £600.
He was freed in 2000 aged 66 because of his deteriorating health, and died shortly afterwards.Ronnie Kray died in prison in 1995 aged 61.

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