Let them eat fruitcake

A slice of fruit cake from Queen Elizabeth II's wedding in 1947 has sold for £1,750 (€2,000) in London. The unusual lot was among the weird and wonderful collectibles offered in Christie's Out of the Ordinary auction at South Kensington on September 5th. The keepsake was "originally presented to Mr C H Spackman, who formed part of the Guard of Honour" when, the then, Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20th, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. The slice of cake, in a white cardboard presentation box stamped Buckingham Palace, had a pre-sale estimate of £800-£1,200.

The auction also featured a set of eight paint brushes owned by artist Francis Bacon in a Batchelors Butter Beans can which made£33,750 (€40,000). The estimate was £20,000-£25,000). The brushes were reputedly used by Bacon to paint a portrait of fellow artist Lucian Freud in 1969.