Mould from Fleming tests makes £12,500
MOULD cultivated by the world-renowned Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming has been auctioned off for £12,500.
The yellowy-green mould was mounted in a glass disc signed by Sir Alexander and inscribed on the reverse with “the mould which makes penicillin”.
It was part of an archive kept by the Scottish biologist’s niece Mary Anne Johnston, which also contained photographs of Fleming, notebooks and letters revealing how the Scot himself was cured by his own discovery.
The collection was sold at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts Sale in London to an anonymous collector bidding online from overseas.
A second piece of mould from the same family collection was bought by another private overseas buyer, bidding by phone, for £11,875.
Sarah Lindberg, Bonhams’ specialist, said: “The high prices paid for these lots reflect their importance and the enduring fascination with Alexander Fleming’s crucial discovery, to which so many millions of people all over the world owe their lives.
“It’s a piece of mould but really rather beautiful. Certainly, there cannot be too many more valuable pieces of mould in the world.
“This is Fleming’s key discovery, which resonates down the years.”
Fleming, from Lochfield, in Ayrshire, discovered the antibiotic substance from the mould Penicillium notatum in 1928.