The personal effects of KFC founder Colonel Sanders, including his iconic pressure cooker and signature black bow tie, are heading to public auction, alongside his former home and a dinner house he established after selling his world-renowned restaurant chain.

Harland Sanders, still widely recognized as the enduring face of the global brand originally known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, established the Shelbyville property as the first headquarters for his burgeoning restaurant business in the late 1950s. He later sold the property, which encompassed his personal residence and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, in 1974 to Tommy and Cherry Settle, who have operated the restaurant ever since.

Sanders sold KFC in 1964 to a group of investors, but continued as a brand ambassador for the company. The auction has garnered "worldwide" interest, according to Bill Menish of The Menish Group, which is conducting the sale. Menish described Sanders as "the original celebrity chef" and a "marketing genius" for meticulously crafting the Colonel persona that became synonymous with his brand. "He didn’t dress like that before he was starting to build Kentucky Fried Chicken," Menish explained. "He adopted the colonel: the clothes, the bow tie, the glasses, the goatee."

Among the most intriguing items up for bid is a personal 1964 planner containing a handwritten recipe for herbs and spices. This document was once the subject of an early 2000s lawsuit filed by the KFC Corp. to keep its contents private. KFC later dropped the legal action, stating that after reviewing the planner, the ingredients didn’t match Sanders' secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and was likely a recipe for stuffing. "What a keepsake," Menish remarked about the unique item.

Other personal items up for bidding include Sanders’ personal watches, an original cash register, his cutlery set, a bust sculpted by his daughter, and a commercial gas range from the colonel's former residence. One of Sanders' signature black bow ties has already attracted online bids exceeding \$2,000. Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk revealed a lesser-known fact about the iconic accessory: "Not a lot of people know, he did wear clip-ons."

Online pre-bidding for the Sanders memorabilia concludes with a live, in-person auction on Tuesday evening. Sealed bids for the restaurant and Sanders’ former 5,000-square-foot (465 square-meter) home, which he named Blackwood Hall, will be accepted until Friday.