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Auction kicked off on June 8, will conclude on June 30.
A Rolex Yacht Master II, a silver dagger from Oman, a silver tea set made in London, even an Apple MacBook Pro — these are some of the items up for grabs with the Ministry of External Affairs opening up its collection of exotic presents and souvenirs from the Toshakhana to the public.
In a first-of-its-kind move, around 300 gifts received by senior ministry officials, including the Foreign Secretary, during their official international trips over the years are up for auction, with prices ranging between Rs 2,385 and Rs 17 lakh, which kicked off on June 8.
Officials tell The Indian Express that this is the first ever such e-auction open to the general public, enabled in compliance with revised Toshakhana Rules, 2024. Among the most popular items at the auction is an antique silver box which came to the Toshakhana in the 1980s, originally designed as a high-end cigar or cigarette container.
With a base price of Rs 12,030, the object has received 29 bids so far, with the highest one exceeding Rs 52,000. Two Rolex Yacht Master watches, with a starting price of Rs 16.5 lakh, have garnered more than a dozen bids, going up to Rs 16.79 lakh now. On the other hand, a gold jewellery set from Kuwait by the Al Arbash brand, including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings, with a base price of Rs 9.5 lakh, hasn’t received any bids so far.
A decorative silver box, flanked by two gold plated dragons, carrying a 20 gram fine gold biscuit from the renowned Argor Heraeus brand of Switzerland and a starting price of Rs 3.92 lakh, has clocked in eight bids so far — going up to Rs 4.06 lakh.
The auction closes on June 30, after which the products will be shipped free of cost to the successful bidders, according to officials. The Establishment Division (Toshakhana Section) of MEA is conducting the auction, they said, adding that the evaluation price of the items is decided by a committee.
For the auction, the base price of the items has been calculated as its evaluation price plus the cost of packing and delivery, officials added.
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This is the first time that Toshakhana items can be acquired by the general public. Interestingly, the last auction, which was held in 1983, was open only to the government employees at the MEA headquarters.
The proceeds of the auction will go to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI). While no item received by any political functionary has been selected this time, the Ministry is now planning the next round of this auction, wherein presents received by consecutive External Affairs Ministers will also be added. “In the present round, items received by the government officers (Foreign Secretary and below) have been published,” said officials.
Toshakhana is the repository of gift items/articles received in India or abroad by the government functionaries from foreign sources and dignitaries.
The items offered for auction are primarily heritage, souvenir, decorative, collectible, or ceremonial items and may not necessarily be intended for functional, commercial, or operational use.
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