LONDON (AP) — Sotheby's is auctioning a scrap of the red, white and blue "Victory Jack" flag that flew from Adm. Horatio Nelson's flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar.
The British naval hero was fatally shot aboard HMS Victory as he led the British fleet against France and Spain in the 1805 battle. Sailors at Nelson's funeral reportedly tore scraps from the flag to keep as mementoes.
Sotheby's showed the flag fragment, which measures several feet (about 1 meter) on each side, to photographers Thursday ahead of its Jan. 17 sale. It is expected to fetch between 80,000 pounds and 100,000 pounds ($108,000 and $135,000).
It's part of an auction that also includes Nelson's grog chest and decanters, along with several love letters to his mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton.
