August 27, 2025
Alan Turing Papers found in Loft collects £ 150,000 after they have been shredded almost

Alan Turing Papers found in Loft collects £ 150,000 after they have been shredded almost

Scientific papers of codebraten war hero Alan Turing, which were discovered in a loft, are expected to collect £ 150,000 at the auction – after they have been almost shredded.

The incredible archive was found when he collected dust in a attic in Bermondsey, after moving into a nursing home and her daughters, began to clear their attic.

The almost destroyed documents included a personal copy of the doctoral thesis on the mathematical genius from 1938 to 39 and his first published work from 1935.

The newspapers known as “off -print” were originally given by Turing’s mother, Ethel, the girlfriend of her son and mathematician Norman Routledge.

They were produced in a very small number and distributed within science, making them “incredibly scarce” survivors who rarely appear on the market.

The documents were almost destroyed. (Image: SWNS)

The collection is now expected that it will be sold on rare accounts in Lichfield, employees, between 100,000 and 150,000 GBP on rare accounts.

Turing was one of the famous code trucks in Bletchley Park, which played an important role in linking the puzzle code, which led to an Allied victory in the Second World War.

Although he contributed to reducing the war for four years, he was prosecuted on March 31, 1952 for homosexual acts and died of cyanide poisoning on June 7, 1954 at the age of 41.

Shortly before he knew himself guilty, Turing sent a moving letter to Norman Routledge, the original owner of the newspapers sold.

The letter, known as “with” in need “, was read by Routledge when he was in” The Strange Life and Death of Dr. Turing “appeared on the horizon of the BBC.

Since then, Benedict Cumberbatch has been read by Routledge to King’s College in Cambridge, where it is now in the Turing Archive.

The collection is expected to earn £ 150,000. (Image: SWNS)

But he kept the collection of Turings Offprints, which were finally saved by his nieces and nephews.

One of the nieces said: “After his retirement at Eton College, he bought and lived in a house in Bermondsey.

“When he died in 2013, two of his sisters had the not enviable task of sorting and emptying the content.

“There were many personal papers who kept a sister away and kept in her attic. The papers rest until she moved to a nursing home almost a decade later.

“Her daughters came across the newspapers and stated to crush everything.

“Fortunately, they checked Noran’s nieces and nephews because he was always present in our lives.

The papers were saved by Turing’s friend Norman. (Image: SWNS)

Add: “A cousin was that the Turing and Forster papers could be of interest to collectors.

“After taking her home more closely, she decided to take part in a local evaluation day organized by Hansons auctioneers, which she put for research with her specialist, rare accounting, for researching research.

“We were involved in the reviews and the degree of enthusiasm.”

The collection contains its doctoral thesis from 1938 to 1939, logic systems based on ordinals signed by Turing and was his personal copy.

This document alone estimated the auction house of 40,000 to 60,000 GBP, as well as its paper from 1936-37 with the title of calculator numbers.

The paper introduced the world into the idea of ​​a “universal computing machine”, which despite the simplicity of the model is able to implement a computer algorithm and was the first programming manual of the computer age.

The papers were checked by experts. (Image: SWNS)

Jim Spencer, director of rare accounts, who is more famous for the search for Harry Potter First Editions, described the collection as “the most important archive with which I have ever handled”.

He said that the exchange of off prints had been a correspondence method between scientists in the past and is estimated by collectors as the first separate edition of an important work.

He added: “Nothing could have prepared me what I wanted to find in this carrier bag.

“These apparently simple papers are perfectly preserved in the steamed colors of their unadorned, academic packaging – the basics of computer science and modern digital computing.

“Literature has always been my strength, not my mathematics. In the past few months of intensive research and cataloging these papers, I was the feeling that Alan Turing was superhuman.

The collection contains letters. (Image: SWNS)

“For me it is like studying the language of another planet, something that is composed of an ultra-intelligent civilization.”

The collection also includes the chemical basis of morphogenesis, which dates from 1952 and is less well -known masterpiece of mathematical biology.

Since then it has become a fundamental model in theoretical biology and describes what has become known as a “Turing pattern”.

Mr. Spencer said: “In 2023, a study confirmed that the mathematical model hypothesis of Turing was presented in the chemical basis of morphogenesis.

“The papers are still alive in this way. They are still relevant and groundbreaking.

“We even have Turingy’s first published paper from 1935 – equivalence on the left and right almost periodicity – which is simply a single sheet of paper.

The collection will be interested in all over the world. (Image: SWNS)

“And the origin could not be better. The archive was gave Turing’s friend and mathematician Norman Arthur Routledge (1928-2013) by Turing’s mother Ethel – and we have explained your handwritten letter.”

In the letter dated May 16, 1956, Ethel Turing says: “Today I sent off the registered post 13 of Alans off-print … I don’t know what the people in Cambridge thought about the kind of Alan’s death.

“I am convinced that it was accidental when the experiment of the cola under electrolysis – which has been a lawn from Cyanid for weeks – that he had some of it on his fingers and so on the apple that he had usually eaten in bed … I have some inquiries to write a biography of Alan, and massive masses because he had many papers.

Mr. Spencer added: “This fascinating letter is a golden thread that connects and seals the authenticity of everything.

“The potential value forces us to offer the papers individually. The price is unknown and could lead to any amount.


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“Everything with a direct connection to Turing is very desirable and almost impossible.

“These papers belonged to his close friend Norman, who had been given to him by Turing’s mother. That is what makes this collection so important.

“It hardly appears on the open market that the prediction of hammer prices is gambling.”

Add: “I suspect that interest in Silicon Valley will be strong – where Turing’s influence seems bright – but it would be nice to see that material is acquired by institutions that could share things with the public.”

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