Today, rich people with too much spare cash can bid on the old home of Colonel Harland Sanders. You can also bid on his famous black bow tie, his old pressure cooker, and a handwritten list of herbs and spices that might just be a recipe for sage stuffing.
Yes, the real estate market has officially gone mad. The famous Kentucky Fried Chicken founder and his wife, Claudia, lived on a grand three acre estate in Shelbyville. The property includes Blackwood Hall mansion and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Sanders opened the restaurant after selling his fast food empire for two million dollars in 1964. He immediately regretted that decision, mostly because he thought the new owners ruined his fried chicken.
The family who bought the plot five decades ago tried to sell it for nine million dollars a few years back. Nobody bought it. They dropped the price to under five million, and still, nobody bit. Now, auctioneers are practically begging someone to take the keys off their hands.
Buying a Fast Food Empire’s History
The auction features dozens of the Colonel’s personal items. Bidders are currently fighting over his old cutlery, a bust his daughter made, and an original cash register. Someone already dropped over two thousand dollars on a single black bow tie.
The biggest selling point, however, is a 1964 day planner. The auction house claims this book holds the exact measurements for the secret fried chicken recipe. Naturally, the corporate suits at Yum! Brands burst that bubble very quickly. They assured reporters that the real recipe sits inside a digital safe wrapped in two feet of concrete.
In fact, KFC actually sued a previous owner over this exact planner years ago. They later dropped the lawsuit after reading the page, admitting the notes probably just detailed a basic Sunday roast seasoning.
Harland Sanders was a master of self promotion. He did not even wear the white suit and goatee until he needed a gimmick to sell fast food. He invented a character, sold the rights, and spent the rest of his life complaining about soggy chips and bland gravy. Now, someone will pay millions for his old cooker.
If you appreciate the sheer ridiculousness of paying two grand for a dead man’s necktie, pass this on to a friend who needs a reality check.
The true list of KFC’s “11 herbs and spices,” leaked by Colonel Sanders’ own nephew in 2016.
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