Eric Morecambe’s glasses sold for £20,000

Eric Morecambe was known for wearing heavy dark-framed glasses, which he would put askew on his face or waggle up and down

Hansons Auctioneers A maroon leather glasses case on the left and to the right is a pair of horn rimmed heavy glasses, folded up on their arms — Eric Morecambe was known for wearing heavy dark-framed glasses, which he would put askew on his face or waggle up and down

Comedy legend Eric Morecambe’s glasses have sold for £20,000 at auction – far exceeding their estimate of £2,000 to £4,000.

A lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal items from the comedian’s former home, Brachefield in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, were put up for sale after his widow, Joan, died aged 97, in March.

A 1978 portrait of the star by the artist Richard Stone went for £15,000, while his ventriloquist dummy Charlie achieved £6,200, twice its highest estimate, during the two-day event.

Charles Hanson, of Hanson Auctioneers in Derbyshire, said: “The prices reflect not only the quality and uniqueness of the items but also the deep affection fans continue to hold for him.”

The Morecambe and Wise Show was a long-running and immensely popular sketch show

Getty Images Comedians Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise dressed in checked suits, bowler hats and holding cigars during a rehearsal for their series The Morecambe & Wise Show, circa 1981 — The Morecambe and Wise Show was a long-running and immensely popular sketch show

Morecambe met comedy partner Ernie Wise in 1940, aged 14, and despite a wartime separation formed an enduring double-act.

They had many lean years touring theatres before they broke into TV and by 1977 their Christmas special was watched by 28 million viewers.

Morecambe’s three children, Gail, Gary and Steven, decided to give fans of the comedy star the opportunity to own some of his belongings, 700 of which went under the hammer.

Eric and Ernie took Charlie to America to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and it was even in an episode of the 1970s ITV crime series The Sweeney

Hansons Auctioneers A head and torso shot of Eric Morecambe's ventriloquist dummy Charlie. It is wearing a maroon jacket over a checked shirt and a maroon tie. It has a maroon cap on its head, from which light brown hair is sticking out. It has a broad smile — Eric and Ernie took Charlie to America to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and it was even in an episode of the 1970s ITV crime series The Sweeney

A letter from Wise to Morecambe which revealed he wished to end their partnership sold for £3,200.

Other highlights of the sale included:

His tailcoat and trousers from the Morecambe and Wise Show sold for £4,500
His Breitling watch sold for £10,000
A vintage Luton Town FC tracksuit with Eric stitched on the back sold for £5,500
His OBE sold for £11,00
His pipes sold for £1,100

The auction house said the sale attracted a room full of fans and collectors and a record-breaking online crowd tuned in from all around the world.

A total amount for the sale has yet to be announced.

Before the auction, the comedian’s daughter Gail Stuart, who lives in Northamptonshire, said she and her siblings had a “real sense of it being the end of an era”.

Meanwhile, her brother Gary Morecambe, an author from London, said the family were “genuinely excited” about the auction of their parents’ lifelong possessions.