LONDON.- International collectors came out in full force today to testify to the enduring fascination for Britain's national hero and legend, Lord Horatio Nelson. The “Of Royal and Noble Descent” was spearheaded by an outstanding group of 80 objects celebrating Nelson, Trafalgar and the great British maritime tradition, almost all of which found a buyer (96%) and achieved prices well in excess of their pre-sale estimates.

Many of the objects in the collection had irresistible stories to tell and would have been with Nelson at his final hour, making them even more desirable to collectors. Among such pieces were:

· An exceptionally large fragment of the Union Jack believed to have flown from Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory during his greatest – and final – victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Four bidders competed for this piece of history, driving the final price to £297,000 ($408,761), almost three times the pre-sale estimate of £80,000-100,000 / €90,000-113,000.

· Dating from 1799, a pair of silver sauce tureens emblazoned with Nelson’s coat of arms and presented to him by Lloyd's Coffee House following the Battle of Copenhagen, achieved £106,250 ($146,232), double the pre-sale estimate (est. £30,000-50,000 / €33,700-56,500).

· Nelson’s grog chest, with its carefully cased set of fine decanters, that he kept in his cabin at sea which fetched £68,750 ($94,621) (lot 137, est. £35,000-45,000 / €39,300-50,500).

Nelson’s personal life fascinated contemporary society and his affair with Emma Hamilton was probably the biggest scandal of the age. The sale featured a portrait of Nelson’s muse by the great Irish neo-classicist Gavin Hamilton, which once hung in her husband’s salon in Naples. Painted circa 1786, this sumptuous portrait realised £369,000 ($507,855) (est. £150,000-200,000 / €169,000-225,000).

In addition to the Nelson’s collection, the sale included an outstanding ensemble of fascinating royal and aristocratic heirlooms covering centuries of history. Together, they realised a combined total of £2.6 million ($3.5 million) (est. £2-2.9 million).