Mandela auction suspended in the name of preserving South African cultural heritage. The event was to take place in February in New York, after being canceled in 2021.
But the South African government is opposed to the sale and wants to block the export of these objects. A black silk jacquard shirt, which Mandela wore when he met Queen Elizabeth in 1996, was offered at a starting price of $34,000. Letter exchanges and gifts from Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were also included in the lot.