KFC founder Harland Sanders’ pressure cooker, black bow tie and dozens of his personal items are up for public auctionAuctioneer Jonathan Klunk gestures to a display of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Shelbyville, Ky. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk gestures to a display of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Shelbyville, Ky. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk gestures to a display of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Shelbyville, Ky. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk gestures to a display of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Shelbyville, Ky. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)SHELBYVILLE, Ky. -- KFC founder Colonel Sanders ' pressure cooker, black bow tie and dozens of other personal items are up for public auction Tuesday night, along with his former home and a dinner house Sanders opened after selling his iconic restaurant chain. “Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef,” said Bill Menish, whose firm, The Menish Group, is conducting the auction. Sanders’ personal watches, an original cash register, his cutlery set, a bust sculpted by his daughter and a commercial gas range from the colonel's former residence are among the items up for bidding. Sanders sold KFC in 1964 to a group of investors, but continued as a brand ambassador for the company. Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk said there's a little-known secret behind the bow tie.