Margaret Thatcher auction nets unexpected $6.8 million

The lady's certainly for earning. An auction of artifacts belonging to late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher including her signature handbags has raised USD 6.8 million, many times its pre-sale estimate.
Christie's sold more than 400 items through a live and online auction. It said today that the sales attracted bids from 44 countries.
A model of a bald eagle presented to Thatcher by Cold War ally President Ronald Reagan sold for 266,500 pounds (USD 404,014), while her red ministerial dispatch box fetched 242,500 pounds (USD 367,630).
Another top lot was a silver bowl engraved with one of Thatcher's most famous phrases: "The lady's not for turning." Branded the "Iron Lady" for her steely determination, Thatcher governed Britain between 1979 and 1990. She died in April 2013.