Rare Henry VIII letter written over 500 years ago sells for £30,000 at auction

The letter signed by the monarch is being sold using an unusual descending price auction with a starting figure of £65,000 Credit: Paul Fraser Collectables

A letter written by Henry VIII more than 500 years ago has sold for £30,000 at a special auction in St Helier using an unusual type of method known as a "Dutch auction" where the bid descends in value.

The price of the document started at £65,000 and reduced by £5,000 until sold to a bidder.

The letter was written in the fourth year of Henry's reign when he was 22. In it, he instructs the keeper of his wardrobe, Sir Andrew Windsor, to supply cloth to be made into gowns.

The letter was signed in December 1513 at Windsor Castle.

Paul Fraser Collectables, which houses thousands of items, came into possession of the letter four years ago after it was sold to them by a dealer in the UK.

There has been a heavy appetite for memorabilia relating to the monarch in recent years with the prices of some items seeing their value double at auction.

The CEO of Paul Fraser Collectables, Mike Hall, explained that the auction "collectors - and people who might not normally bid in auctions - the chance to own an important piece of English history for a low price."

“It’s a real test of nerve, will you wait for the price to fall even lower and risk missing out to a rival bidder?” he added.

Want to find out more about the stories making the headlines? Don't miss Channelcast - the Channel Islands current affairs podcast: