On May 10 1994 Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president.

Following three centuries of white rule in the country Mandela was sworn in at the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria.

Mandela's tireless fight to end apartheid in South Africa has made collectibles associated with the man hugely popular with investors but often the subject of controversy.

In March last year a group of businessmen and the Liliesleaf Trust bought Mandela's 1955 Freedom Charter for around £50,000, just days before it was set for auction at Bonhams with an estimate of £30,000.

Mandela and Clinton in 1993

In 2009, South African actress Charlize Theron landed herself in trouble after auctioning off a meeting with Mandela and a trip to the 2010 World Cup for £26,880 to aid the OneXOne children's foundation. As an added bonus Theron also granted the winner a 20 second kiss (with herself not Mandela). The Nelson Mandela Foundation subsequently announced that it had not sanctioned the auction.

Publisher Pan Macmillan bought Mandela's 100,000-word unseen diaries for an undisclosed sum in 2010. The diaries were subsequently released as Conversations with Myself.