Initially estimated to go for £10,000 – £14,000, this historic ring once belonged to and was worn by Saint Joan of Arc. Experts were however extremely surprised when the bidding contest kept going until it almost reached the £300,000 (about $430,000) mark.
The ring was sold by TimeLine Auctions at a Bloomsbury event in London. It came in an oak casket and it as sold with extensive documentation, including research notes, articles, BBC features and exhibition catalogues. Before being offered at auction, the silver-gilt artifact had been part of museum exhibitions both in England and in France.
Joan was most probably given the ring by her parents, but before her 1431 execution, the young lady gave it to her interrogator, Cardinal Beaufort. Almost 600 years later, the legacy of the 19-year-old heroine is still alive, and her legend is still being told. She fought to help Charles VII reclaim France from English domination and has since been canonized a Roman Catholic saint.
