ON April 23, 1804, Horatio, Lord Nelson received his final promotion, to Vice-Admiral of the White, then the fifth most senior position in the Royal Navy. I wondered whether the date had any more obvious significance in his illustrious career for Bonhams to have chosen it for their last month’s Nelson Forever auction, but it seems that was merely the luck of the calendar and, no doubt, there was some administrative reason that a lot with a clear link to the hero was actually offered the following day in a regular sale of marine interest.
This was one of the 58 mourning rings that
