Here’s an odd one: a sketchbook by the notorious British gangster Reggie Kray.
The Kray twins were serving a life sentence in prison when they heard about James Fallon, a young boy living in South Africa who had been paralyzed as a result of being hit by a car and only survived thanks to a seven-hour operation. The imprisoned Kray brothers ended up becoming pen pals with Fallon and helping to raise money for his care. Among the correspondence they exchanged in the 18th months before his death was this sketchbook:
The archive includes six signed crayon drawings by Reggie of a sailor, a cowboy, a boxer, a landscape, a boat at sea and a boxing match.
Affixed inside the sketchbook are two Christmas cards. An inscription on a page at the front dated December 3 1989 reads:
“The most courageous boy in the world – James Fallon. God bless. Affection. Your friend. Reg Kray xxxxx.â€
Read more:How the Kray twins helped a paralysed Codsall youngster from their prison cells