Agatha Christie's belongings inspire magic at auction in Britain

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London (dpa) - British crime writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) has lost none of her spell on readers and fans, an auction of her personal belongings in Britain showed Tuesday.

Auction house Bearne's, in Exeter, south-west Britain, said the 700 items put up for sale by her family were changing hands for much more than originally expected.

Initial estimates for the sale, of up to 250,000 pounds (465,000 dollars), were being exceeded within the first two hours of bidding.

The unique belongings are from Christie's holiday retreat, Greenway House in Churston Ferrers, south Devon, which she bought in 1938.

But Christie, regarded as the world's most famous mystery writer, grew up in nearby Torquay, and never wrote at her holiday home, a lavish listed building dating from 1791.

The various lots, including books, ceramics, pictures, prints, works of art, furniture and jewellery, have attracted worldwide interest, with bidders from America and Australia leading the field.

Half the proceeds will go to the National Trust, Britain's main conservation society, to help finance renovation work at Greenway House, which is due to open to the public in 2008.

Bearne's director Daniel Goddard said it was very difficult to value the lots because of the need to take into account "the Agatha Christie factor."

"The first 100 or so items have gone for two or three times their estimates," said Goddard, adding that the final result could be close to half a million pounds.

Businessman Rex Rozario, who came away with two vases, said: "I have read quite a few of her books and now I can say I have something that was from Agatha Christie's house."

Agatha Christie's books have sold more than one billion copies in the English language and another billion in more than 45 foreign languages.

It is claimed she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.