Colonel Sanders Lives on……
While Colonel Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame slipped away in 1980, his estate was never dispersed. That moment came recently, on July 28th, 2026, when his real estate, his possessions and his career-related manuscripts, books and ephemera were redeemed for cash to the lucky bidders who took home the Colonel’s gems.
After almost 50 years, did the market remember him? Waiting so long could be a risky speculation. The answer is yes.
The back story is that the Colonel sold his firm for $2.0 million dollars in 1964 while retaining marketing rights to Canada where he moved to Mississauga, Ontario in 1965 to “oversee and grow” KFC Canada’s profits. That worked out well too. Profits from that enterprise went directly to funding Canadian hospitals, medical research, and children’s charities.
His buyer in 1964 did well too. John Y. Brown and a partner resold KFC for $285 million in 1971. Mr. Brown subsequently married Miss America Phyllis George, and soon after became Governor of Kentucky while the Colonel was left unhappy about the chicken feed he was being paid as KFC’s official brand ambassador. Initially he was paid $40,000 a year, subsequently becoming $75,000 a year.
In 1980, Colonel Harland Sanders passed away at age of 90 years when he passed away on December 16, 1980 (born September 9, 1890).
Then the big wait started. Most estates get settled quickly. Others don’t.
In the ensuing years KFC grew and grew to the point it now generates approximately $36.4 billion in annual systemwide sales across its network of nearly 34,000 restaurants in over 145 countries and territories.
Now the Colonel’s assets finally were posted to auction. Was there anything attractive to the collectible paper market?
The answer was yes and no.
The Menish Group of 4175 Westport Rd., Suite 101, Louisville, KY 40207 handled the sales. The website: https://claudiasandersauction.com
There weren’t too many items that attracted attention. They did well but they probably would have done better if the sales were held decades earlier.
Auction Highlights &High-Profile Lots
- The 1964 Personal Planner ($30,000): The top seller of the memorabilia sale was Sanders' personal 1964 datebook/planner containing a handwritten list of herbs and spices. It was famously at the center of an early 2000s lawsuit by KFC Corp. attempting to keep the contents private (though KFC eventually dropped the suit, claiming the list was likely for a stuffing recipe rather than the secret 11 herbs and spices).
- 1955 Kentucky Colonel Certificate ($23,000): His official certificate naming him an honorary Kentucky Colonel.
- Signature Clip-On Black Bow Tie ($8,000): One of the iconic black ribbon ties depicted in the KFC logo. During the auction, auctioneer Jonathan Klunk revealed a fun piece of trivia: the Colonel almost exclusively wore clip-on bow ties!
- Kitchen Equipment & Patents: Items including his personal pressure cookers used to develop his pressure-frying method, his 1966 patent titled "Process of Producing Fried Chicken Under Pressure", a cutlery set, and an original cash register.
- Personal Belongings & Ephemera: His personal Bible, traveling knife kit, keys to cities, presidential birthday greetings (including from Richard Nixon), and a bust sculpted by his daughter.
For the record, the formula listed in the 1964 planner, apparently wasn’t the “secret sauce.” That formula is kept under lock and key.
