The president of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Japan has bought an iconic white suit worn by company founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, at Heritage Auctions' June 22-23 Americana and Political Signature Auction in Dallas.
 As his popularity grew, Colonel Sanders was never seen in public without his white suit for more than 20 years and began bleaching his moustache and beard to match his look |
Masao "Charlie" Watanabe purchased the suit for $21,510, a 43.4% increase on its $15,0000 high estimate.
He also bought a collection of Sanders' personal memorabilia - including his driving licence - for $1,912.
The image of Colonel Sanders as the face of the company remains popular in Japan, with statues in his honour erected outside many branches.
Watanabe has said that the suit will go on display at a KFC restaurant in Tokyo.
The suit came with fantastic provenance, having been gifted to Colonel Sanders' young neighbour and friend Mike Morris to wear as a Halloween costume.
Sanders had become close to the Morris family after purchasing land that they owned to build his own house.
 It's unclear why jugates from the 1860 election are so rare, as those from previous elections are readily available on the market |
A ferrotype jugate created for the McClellan and Pendleton presidential campaign in 1864 saw the top bids of the sale, realising $29,875.
The Democrat pair, the youngest presidential ticket ever nominated until 2012, lost to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson at the elections.
The jugate was always expected to see a strong sale price, after Heritage sold a Lincoln-Johnson version for $50,000 in its last Americana auction.
There are thought to be seven Lincoln-Johnson jugates in existence, while only four or five McClellan-Pendleton examples are known.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a stunning array of presidential memorabilia for sale, including strands of hair and exceedingly rare autographs.
