A Group of Cheques Signed By the Late Lord Lucan

Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (1934-c. 1974), a debonair character addicted to gambling since his schooldays at Eton, disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the hours after his family’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was murdered at 46 Lower Belgrave street, Belgravia, on 7 November 1974. No-one has ever established that Lucan, officially declared dead earlier this year, was the killer, but it has long been thought that the murderer mistook Rivett for Lady Lucan, at that time estranged from her husband.
The following group of cheques, drawn on Coutts Bank, were written by Lord Lucan. Lots 438, 439 and 440 would have been accepted by the Ladbroke Club, 22 Hill street, Mayfair, in one session, as the cheques are consecutively numbered. Lots 441 and 442 are interesting in that they show the casino cashier’s date-stamps for the evening of 16 October 1973. It is possible that Lucan asked if all five cheques could be post-dated, so they would not reach his bank until he was in funds. He reneged on this deal and all five cheques were subsequently stopped.
By the end of 1973 Lucan was in debt and early in 1974 entered a deal with the Ladbroke Club to pay monthly instalments to settle his debt. The six consecutively numbered cheques (Lots 443-448) were payable to A. (Alex) Alexander, the then managing director of Ladbroke’s London casinos. The practise of making cheques payable to a director or senior manager was a ruse to confuse a punter’s bank manager, but this seldom worked. The first of the series (Lot 443) was again stopped by Lucan telephoning his bank, and none of the others were ever presented as by then Lucan had little money.
Collection Information
This collection was sold on 11 April 2016.
Other Collections Sold in 2016
- The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals
- Edwardian Sterlings of the Bury St Edmunds Mint, From the Collection of Dr Robin Eaglen
- Coins of Charles I From the Lyall Collection
- A Collection of Medals to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Collection of Medals to The South Wales Borderers
- A Collection of Medals to the Manchester Regiment
- A Collection of Militaria to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Parcel of Coins from the Durham (Neville’s Cross) Hoard, 1889
- A Collection of British Silver and Copper Coins, 1662-1758, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- A Collection of Shillings, Charles II to Edward VII, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Good Group of Victorian Florins, 1849-1901, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Maundy Coins and Sets, Charles II to Elizabeth II, the Property of a Gentleman
- Edward VIII Coins and Related Ephemera, from the Estate of the late Miss Fairlie Hopkin
- Numismatic Books from the Library of the late Jeffrey Gardiner, Darlington
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of the late David Perry
- A Group of Cheques Signed By the Late Lord Lucan
- A Collection of English Hammered Coins, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- Pennies of the Durham Mint, from the Collection of Ray Robinson
- A Collection of British Milled Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Shillings, George III to George V, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Ancient Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Neil Todd
- A Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Good Group of Specimen Banknotes
- The Channer Family Medals
- A Collection of Gallantry Awards to the Indian Army for the Burma Campaign 1944-45
- A Small Collection of Medals to The Military Police
- London 17th Century Tokens from the Collection of Quentin Archer
- The Collection of Nottinghamshire 17th Century Tokens formed by Andrew Knighton
- The Collection of Somerset 17th Century Tokens formed by the late Terry Winsborough
- The Collection of Staffordshire Tokens formed by the late Edward Watkin
- Other British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Edward Watkin
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by Tony Holmes
- Tokens and Gaming Counters from the Collection of Colin Narbeth
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Derek Platts
- A Further Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Coins from the Collection of the late Edward Watkin
- A Collection of British Coins sold on behalf of the Royal Flying Corps Veterans Association
- The Berscar (Dumfries and Galloway) 2014 Hoard of Edwardian Sterlings
- The Collection of Medals to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Medals to Musicians formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Militaria to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- A Collection of Banknotes of Northern Ireland, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Group of Banknotes of Iran, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Medals to the West Yorkshire (14th Foot) and Yorkshire (19th Foot) Regiments
- A Collection of Medals to Members of the Nobility and The Royal Household
- British Coins from the C.J. Boismason Collection
- Irish Coins from the C.J. Boismason Collection
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Michael Longfield
- A Collection of City of London Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- The Collection of Sussex 17th Century Tokens formed by Tim Everson
- A Fine Collection of Racing Tickets and Passes, the Property of a North Country Collector
- British Tokens from the Collection of the late David Perry
Back to Special Collections
Valuations
If you are interested in selling your items and would like a valuation, our experts would be happy to help.