Great Scott

The relics, under glass at Christie’s auction house in London where they’re to be sold Friday, serve as a reminder of Britain’s golden era of Arctic explorers, such as Capt. Robert Scott, upper left. Many of the objects, including the flag Scott flew at the South Pole in 1912, were recovered from the tent where Scott and two colleagues were discovered, frozen in their sleeping bags. They reached the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen had already come and gone. The auction has upset some British historians who fear many of the items will end up in the United States. Among the items for sale are Scott’s Bible and parts for the primus stove that gave his crew their last hot meal.