Oscar Wilde Collection Fetches Over £1.6 Million at Bonhams Auction

A major sale dedicated to the life and works of Oscar Wilde, featuring the collection of Jeremy Mason, took place on February 18, 2026, at Bonhams Knightsbridge in London, realizing a total of £1,689,780 (over €1.9 million). The auction commemorated the 125th anniversary of Wilde’s death on November 30, 1900.

Rare Items and High Prices

The auction featured 156 lots, many of which sold for significantly more than their estimated guide prices. A photograph of Wilde on his death bed, taken at the Hôtel d’Alsace in Paris, sold for £279,800, exceeding its estimate of £2,000 to £3,000. The image was captured shortly after Wilde’s death, with the permission of Robert Ross, and taken by Gilbert Maurice.

Other highlights included:

• Two autographed manuscripts – a working draft and a copy of the sonnet “The Grave of Shelley” (circa 1881) – sold for £60,090, against a guide price of £12,000 to £18,000.
• A series of five letters signed by Wilde to J. Graham Hill in 1888 and 1891 fetched £57,550, compared to a guide price of £10,000 to £15,000. The letters contained invitations for tea and compliments on Hill’s poetry.
• An autographed letter to Reggie Turner, from August 1897, sold for £57,550, well above its £8,000 to £12,000 estimate.
• A signed first edition of Wilde’s play Salomé, inscribed “à mon cher ami (to my dear friend) Stuart Merrill,” sold for £48,640, exceeding its £15,000 to £25,000 guide price.
• A cabinet card photograph of Oscar Wilde, taken by Napoleon Sarony in New York in 1882, was as well featured in the sale.

The Jeremy Mason Collection

The items originated from the collection of Jeremy Mason, a noted Wilde collector and bibliophile who has amassed Wilde memorabilia over the past 60 years. Bonhams previously hosted an exhibition of Mason’s collection in 2021.

Matthew Haley, Bonhams Head of Fine Books and Manuscripts, commented on Wilde’s enduring appeal, describing him as “an extraordinary figure, a great wit, a 19th century scandal, and seen by some as a martyr for gay rights.”

Sources: Bonhams, Irish Times