Bounced cheques from 'lucky' Lord Lucan set for auction
BOUNCING cheques written by a desperate Lord Lucan more than 40 years ago are coming up for auction.
Bouncing cheques written by a desperate Lord Lucan more than 40 years ago are coming up for auction
The signatures are barely legible, the mark of a man slowly sinking under enormous gambling debts.
He made them out before he went on the run after murdering his children’s nanny.
Lucan, ironically dubbed Lucky by friends because he barely ever won, signed the 11 cheques drawn on his account with Queen’s bankers Coutts & Co. All were rejected for lack of funds.
Five were written during an astonishing 48 hours when “Lucky” hit a losing streak that cost him about £200,000 in today’s money.
They are poignant reminders of one of the greatest murder mysteries in British history
The last is dated September 1, 1974, two months before London’s worst professional gambler became one of history’s most notorious murderers.
Former merchant banker Lucan, then 39, vanished after he battered Sandra Rivett, 29, to death in the basement of the family’s Belgravia home, mistaking her for his wife.
It was only last month that he was officially declared dead.
The 11 cheques are being sold by an anonymous British-based private collector who bought them several years ago. He said: “I have always been fascinated by the Lucan story with its very British blend of class and crime.
All of the cheques were rejected due to lack of funds
The cheques go on sale for an estimated £2,000 at London auctioneers Dix Noonan on April 11
"It has been a privilege to own these cheques which are so integral to this long-running saga.”
Six consecutively numbered cheques, each for £800, were made payable to Alex Alexander, then managing director of the Ladbroke Club’s London casinos.
Gamblers often made cheques payable to a director rather than a casino as a ruse to dupe bank managers.
It was only last month that Lucan was officially declared dead
What happened to Lord Lucan?
Others are made out to “Cash” – with a cashier’s strict instruction: “Orders Not To Pay”.
The cheques go on sale for an estimated £2,000 at London auctioneers Dix Noonan on April 11.
Christopher Webb of Dix Noonan said: “They are historic and poignant reminders of one of the greatest murder mysteries in British history.
“They show us how a man from a privileged background and blessed with film star good looks was sinking ever deeper into debt because of his gambling addiction.”