DALLAS – More than 900 bidders were on the case at Heritage Auctions’ November 6 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction. But the day’s biggest mystery was solved when the final price for a handwritten page from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original manuscript of his Sherlock Holmes book The Hound of the Baskervilles turned out to be a record-shattering $423,000. The last time a leaf from the legendary manuscript was sold at auction, the year was 2012 and the price was a mere $158,500.

“This extraordinarily rare page from The Hound of the Baskervilles shows the strength of the manuscript market around the world as Heritage continues to source the best examples for our clients,” said Joe Maddalena, Heritage Auctions executive vice president.

Published in 1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the novel in which Doyle brought back his most famous character, after killing off the fictional detective in 1894, and remains one of the most popular among Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. For information, www.ha.com.