Original Keep Calm and Carry On Poster to be Sold in London

The annual The Art & Antiques Fair that will be held in London between June 27 and July 3 will feature the original Keep Calm and Carry On poster printed in the times of World War II, The Guardian writes. It costs £21,300 (about $29,000).

There are only about 20 original copies of the poster left: most of them were found accidentally 16 years ago by the employees of Barter Books in one of the old drawers. There were 2.5 million copies printed totally, and almost all of them were recycled.

After Keep Calm and Carry On posters were discovered in 2000, its variations also became very popular: there are many parodies with the modified slogan, and a British band Stereophonics even used the slogan for an album title.

The posters were printed in the summer 1939. The British authorities hoped to reassure the population when the military threat was hanging over Europe.