Auction of Anthony Bourdain's personal items including chef's knife raises $1.8m

An auction of more than 200 of Anthony Bourdain’s personal items raised nearly $2m (£1.6m), with a portion of the proceeds set to support the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America.

The auction, which was hosted by Antiques Roadshow's Lark Mason, took place from 9-30 October and drew 3,000 bidders, who raised a total amount of $1,846,575 (£1,445,460).

Many of the items, which included “a range of items from books and personal mementos to carefully chosen works of art, as well as cultural artefacts, which he accumulated during his travels,” according to the auction house, were sold for “amounts significantly higher than their estimates”.

The collection of items, chosen from the late chef’s estate, included Bourdain’s custom Bob Kramer steel-and-meteorite chef’s knife, which was estimated to be worth $4,000 and $6,000 but sold for $231,250 (£181,017) after 55 bids.

After acquiring the knife in 2016, Bourdain had written on Instagram: “I might have to go back to working brunch shifts to afford it. But I now own a Kramer knife. Samurai quality, 800 layers of pounded meteorite and steel. I plan on just sitting here gazing at it for a few days before taking it out for a drive."

The second highest-selling item was the chef’s US Navy Jacket from the USS Nashville, which featured a “Tony Bourdain” patch and sold for $171,150 (£133,972).

Even the late chef’s belongings considered of lesser value raised impressive amounts, with comic books previously owned by Bourdain selling for $1,062 (£831).

According to The New York Times, 40 per cent of the revenue will be put towards the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at the chef’s alma mater, with the remainder set to go to his wife Ottavia Busia and his daughter, Ariane.

Following the conclusion of the auction, Lark Mason Jr said in a statement: "The overwhelming strong results were just what we hoped it would be. Anthony Bourdain connected with many, many people and he was beloved and an intensely original person who lived life fully. The numerous bidders wanted something to remember him by and to promote the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America. We are honoured to be contributors to this process through this auction."

Tim Ryan, the president of the Culinary Institute of America, also expressed his gratitude, on behalf of himself and the school’s students.

“We are tremendously grateful that such a generous portion of these auction proceeds will support the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America,” he said. “Anthony showed us that travelling to experience other cuisines and cultures first-hand is invaluable both in and outside the kitchen. We are proud to be able to support our students, the future leaders of the food industry, in following in his footsteps.”