UK : GANDHI'S ICONIC GLASSES : $340,000

LONDON : A pair of gold plated glasses worn by Mahatma Gandhi has sold in Britain for Pounds 260,000 [$340,000] the auction house said.

''We found them just 4 weeks ago in our letterbox, left there by a gentleman whose uncle had been given them by Gandhi himself,'' East Bristol Auctions wrote on Instagram after the sale late on Friday.

''An incredible result from an incredible item! Thanks to all those who bid.''

Gandhi was known for giving out old or unwanted pairs to those in need or those who had helped him.

The non-violent protester gave the glasses to the vendor's uncle while he was working for British Petroleum in South Africa during the 1920s or 30s, said the auction house.

The sales price smashed the original estimate of around 15,000 pounds.

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe told Sky News earlier this month that the vendor had told him : ''If they're no good, just throw them away.''

When he suggested they might be worth 15,000 pounds, ''I think he nearly fell off his chair.'' [AFP]