Menu signed by Albert Einstein sells for £18,000 at Somerset auction

A dinner menu signed by Albert Einstein has sold at auction for £18,000.

It was used at a reception at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1930, when a committee of prominent figures met to raise funds for Jewish communities in Europe.

Other guests at the dinner included the playwright George Bernard Shaw, and author, H. G. Wells.

Lawrence Auctioneers in Crewkerne, Somerset, sold the document on Thursday.

Sophie Tregarthen-Leisk, from the auctioneers, said: "It's been a really interesting document to spend a few weeks cataloguing."

Einstein was the guest of honour at the dinner, which was attended by more than 370 people at a time when the influence of the Nazi Party was growing in Europe.

Prior to being sold, the menu had been kept at a family home in Westbury, Wiltshire.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, Ms Tregarthen-Leisk said it is a "rather interesting story" of how the previous owner came to acquire the artefact, after their grandfather purchased it for an undisclosed amount in the 1980s.

"It's been in their collection ever since then and it's been passed down through the family with them not really being sure whether it was authentic, and them not really knowing much about the history behind it."

During Germany's federal elections of 1930, the Nazi party gained a significant number of seats in the Reichstag, to form the second-largest voting block in the German Parliament.

"That turning point, which is the most interesting part of the dinner, [led to] people knowing there was some oppression coming, but not knowing to what extent it would unfortunately turn into," Ms Tregarthen-Leisk said.

She added that the auctioneers were not aware of the "importance" or "political interest" of the item at first.

"[The previous owners] knew it could be special, but I think both them and us as the auctioneers didn't realise how special it was.

"For them, it's an incredible story. For us, it's an incredible thing to be able to offer in our sale."

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