For nearly forty years, British mechanical engineer John Healey worked for the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in Egypt, overseeing archaeological excavations in Luxor. At the very start of his work in the former land of the pharaohs along the Nile in 1932, he met his compatriot Howard Carter, who had achieved worldwide fame ten years earlier for discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
Healey and Carter became friends, and when Carter left Egypt for the final time in 1939, he gave Healey one of his suitcases. Carter passed away shortly afterwards in London, while his suitcase accompanied Healey on his annual visits to Egypt until 1970, when he retired and returned to England for good.
See also: The Story of the Trunk, From a Suitcase to a Treasure Chest of Memories
John Healey kept the suitcase, bearing Howard Carter’s initials, under his bed, where it was recently rediscovered by his son and heir, Derek. He took it to Elstob Auctioneers in Ripon to be sold. The estimated price was set at a modest £1,000–£1,500. However, Items with a connection to famous figures often see a substantial rise in value. And that was precisely what happened on February 27, when the suitcase was ultimately auctioned for £12,000 (about $15,500).
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The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 was a sensational event, and the Valley of the Kings continues to reveal surprises. In 2022, researchers uncovered another royal burial chamber, now identified as belonging to Pharaoh Thutmose II.
