tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45222438640607783632024-03-13T02:20:26.328+00:00AuctioneerA blog on auctions and auctioneering with a light touch. Reports from the fascinating world of auctions with the emphasis on the odd and unusual.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-14918349018460717742014-04-11T13:27:00.000+00:002014-04-11T13:27:05.397+00:00History of Auctions<!--[if !mso]>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 36.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Talk:</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 36.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">History
of Auctions</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">from
Ancient Babylon
to Internet Auction.</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Noel Lynch has conducted over
2,000 auctions and has had a life-long interest in the history of auctions and
auctioneering.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">His amusing and informative
talk starts with Ancient Babylon
in</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>500 b.c. and takes in:</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The biggest auction ever, when the Roman
Empire was auctioned in 192 a.d.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Roman auctioneering and the auctioneering activity of
Caligula.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The first known auctioneer discovered in Pompeii.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Auctioneering in France
& China
during Medieval times.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Early English laws regulating auctions.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The origin of the big auction companies – Sotheby,
Christies etc.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Slave auctions.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tobacco auctions – the fastest speakers in the world.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Different types of auctions – Auction by Candle,
silent auctions, Dutch auctions, auctions by shout out, handshake auctions etc.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Modern auctions, Internet auctions, eBay and its
history etc.</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Weird things that have come up for auction or are
about to come up.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
talk ends with questions from the floor and discussion. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Noel
Lynch has conducted over 2,000 auctions including antiques, auctions, book
auctions, coin<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and stamp auctions,
football program auctions, gold auctions, livestock auctions, letting auctions,
property auctions and charity auctions.</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">He is
available for lectures or freelance auctioneering and can be contacted at:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Green Room, 192 Archway Road, London
N6 5bb</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Phone 07961 44 1722 or 020
8340 7759 E-mail <a href="mailto:noellynch@lineone.net">noellynch@lineone.net</a></span></b></div>
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-2923726290112899602014-03-27T11:28:00.000+00:002014-03-27T11:28:40.151+00:00'Used' 19th century guillotine up for auction in France<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody>
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A 19th century guillotine in perfect working
order goes up for auction in France on Thursday and is expected to fetch
up to 60,000 euros ($82,000), the auctioneers said.<br />
The wood, iron, steel and brass guillotine, synonymous with the 1789
French Revolution, was used to behead people in the second half of the
19th century.<br />
It will be auctioned on Thursday in the northern city of Nantes and
auctioneer Francois-Xavier Duflos said it was expected to fetch between
50,000 and 60,000 euros.<br />
"It is rare for this type of object to go to auction, so it is rather
difficult to set a price, but we have taken into account its rarity,"
he said.<br />
"It would be nice if it remained in a historic setting, either on display in a chateau or in a public collection," he said.<br />
Duflos said the guillotine was used by the army but he did not elaborate.<br />
The guillotine has been in private hands for over a century and the
current owner had it passed down to him from his grandfather, who
apparently bought it in the early 20th century.<br />
The blade of the guillotine bears the inscription "Armees de la
Republique," a revolutionary force created to defend France from its
neighbors after the 1789 French Revolution.<br />
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<br />Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-72618537909211407362014-02-15T19:10:00.001+00:002014-02-15T19:10:36.539+00:00Sotheby’s to offer world’s most famous stamp June 17<!--[if !mso]>
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The British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, the world’s most
famous stamp. Estimate $10/20 million. Image courtesy of Sotheby's.</div>
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NEW YORK – Sotheby’s New York will offer
the most famous stamp in the world in a dedicated auction on June 17. No
stamp is rarer than the sole-surviving example of the British Guiana One-Cent
Magenta, a unique yet unassuming penny issue from 1856, and no stamp is more
valuable. Each of the three times it has been sold at auction, it has
established a new record price for a single stamp. </div>
The British Guiana is equally notable for its legacy, having been
rediscovered by a 12-year-old Scottish boy living in South
America in 1873, and from there passing through some of the most
important stamp collections ever assembled. The stamp comes to auction this
spring with an estimate of $10 million to $20 million, which would mark a new
world auction record for a stamp.<br />
The current auction record for a single stamp is 2,8750,000 Swiss francs
(approximately US $2.2 million), set by the Treskilling Yellow in 1996.<br />
The British Guiana has not been on view publicly since the 1986, when it
was exhibited at Ameripex ’86 International Stamp Show in Chicago. The stamp will travel this spring
to locations including London and Hong Kong,
before returning to New York
for exhibition in Sotheby’s York
Avenue galleries beginning June 14.<br />
The British Guiana is on offer from the
estate of John du Pont – its most recent purchaser, in 1980 – and a portion
of proceeds from the sale will benefit the Eurasian Pacific Wildlife
Conservation Foundation, which du Pont championed during his lifetime.<br />
David Redden, director of Special Projects and worldwide chairman of
Sotheby’s Books Department, commented: “I have been with Sotheby’s all my
working life, but before I knew about the world’s greatest works of art,
before I knew about the Mona Lisa or Chartres Cathedral I knew about the British Guiana. For me, as a schoolboy stamp collector,
it was a magical object, the very definition of rarity and value,
unobtainable rarity and extraordinary value. That schoolboy of long ago would
be bemused and astonished to think that he would one day, years later, be
temporary guardian of such a world treasure.”<br />
<strong>The British Guiana One-Cent
Magenta</strong><br />
In 1852, British Guiana began receiving regular postage stamps
manufactured in England
by Waterlow & Sons. But in 1856, a shipment of stamps was delayed, which
threatened a disruption of postal service throughout British
Guiana. The postmaster turned to the printers of the local Royal
Gazette newspaper, and commissioned a contingency supply of postage stamps:
the one-cent magenta, a four-cent magenta and a four-cent blue.<br />
The sole-surviving example of the one-cent magenta was first rediscovered
not far from where it was initially purchased. In 1873, L. Vernon Vaughan, a
12-year-old Scottish schoolboy living with his family in British Guiana,
found the stamp among a group of family papers bearing many British
Guiana issues. A budding philatelist (stamp collector), Vaughan could not have
known the one-cent was unique, but he did know that he did not have an
example, and added it to his album. He would later sell the stamp to another
local collector in British Guiana, for
several shillings.<br />
The British Guiana One-Cent entered the UK in 1878, and shortly after, it
was purchased by Count Philippe la Renotière von Ferrary, perhaps the
greatest stamp collector in history. France
seized his collection, which had been donated to the Postmuseum in Berlin, as part of the war reparations due from Germany, and
sold the stamp in 1922 as one of a series of celebrated auctions from
1920–25. It was bought by Arthur Hind, a textile magnate from New York, for
its first auction-record price of $35,000, followed by: Australian engineer
Frederick T. Small; then a consortium headed by Irwin Weinberg; and lastly by
John du Pont, heir to the eponymous chemical company fortune, eccentric
amateur sportsman, and avid collector. Du Pont paid $935,000 for the stamp in
a 1980 auction, marking the object’s most recent record-setting price.<br />
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Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-83848213382711953412014-01-14T18:16:00.000+00:002014-01-14T18:16:04.865+00:00Not-so Hell's Angel: Pope's Harley-Davidson for sale<!--[if !mso]>
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The pope's 2013 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide. Image
courtesy of Bonhams.</div>
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LONDON (AFP) – A
Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was once given to Pope Francis by the
manufacturer is to go on sale next month in Paris, a British auction house said Monday.
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The 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide was given to the pope in June to mark the
110th anniversary of the U.S.
motorcycle maker, London-based auctioneer Bonhams said.<br />
<br />
The bike, which is signed by Pope Francis on the gas tank, is expected to
fetch between 12,000 euros and 15,000 euros ($16,400 and $20,500) when it
goes on sale at the Grand Palais in Paris on Feb. 6.<br />
The pope donated the Harley in November to the Roman Catholic charity
Caritas Roma and the funds from the sale will go toward the restoration ofits
Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome's Termini railway station.<br />
"We are incredibly honored to be selling this item on behalf of
Caritas Roma," said Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams.<br />
"We hope to be able to do both Pope Francis and Harley-Davidson proud
by raising a significant amount of money for a very worthy cause."<br />
Pope Francis, 77, is not thought to have ridden the Harley, a make well
known for its use by motorbike gangs including the Hells Angels.<br />
The famously humble pontiff is more of a fan of buses. He opted to ride
one the day after his election last year instead of taking a limousine, and
regularly used them in his homeland Argentina instead of taxis.<br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
Read more: <a href="http://www.auctioncentralnews.com/index.php/features/people/11474?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ACNlatestnews+%28Auction+Central+News+-+Latest+News%29#ixzz2qOiLdEwb"><span style="color: #003399;">http://www.auctioncentralnews.com/index.php/features/people/11474?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ACNlatestnews+%28Auction+Central+News+-+Latest+News%29</span></a></span>
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Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-33150100887423078302013-12-27T17:47:00.000+00:002013-12-27T17:47:21.062+00:00Christmas Meat Auction At Smithfield<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<h1>
Christmas Meat Auction At Smithfield</h1>
<h1>
<a href="http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/12/23/christmas-meat-auction-at-smithfield/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/12/23/christmas-meat-auction-at-smithfield/</span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></h1>
The carnivores of London
converged upon Smithfield Market, as they do every year for the annual
Christmas Eve auction staged by Harts the Butcher. At ten in the morning, the
rainy streets were almost empty yet, as I came through Smithfield, butchers in
white overalls were wheeling precarious trolleys top-heavy with meat and fowls
over to the site of the auction where an expectant crowd of around a hundred
had gathered, anxiously clutching wads of banknotes in one hand and bags to
carry off their prospective haul in the other.<br />
Contributing Photographer <a href="http://www.colinobrien.co.uk/" target="_blank">Colin O’Brien</a> met me there. He grew up half a mile away in
Clerkenwell during the nineteen fifties and, although it was his first time at
the auction, he remembered his father walking down to Smithfield to get a cheap turkey on Christmas
Eve more than sixty years ago. Overhearing this reminiscence, a robust woman
standing next to us in the crowd struck up a conversation as a means to relieve
the growing tension before the start of the auction which is the highlight of
the entire year for many of stalwarts that have been coming for decades.<br />
<em>“You can almost guarantee getting a turkey,”</em> she reassured us with
the authority of experience, revealing she had been in attendance for fifteen
successive years. Then, growing visibly excited as a thought came into her
mind, <em>“Last year, I got thirty kilos of sirloin steak for free – I
tossed for it!”</em>, she confided to us, turning unexpectedly flirtatious.
Colin and I stood in silent wonder at her good fortune with meat.<em>“We start
preparing in October by eating all the meat in the freezer,” </em>she
explained, to clarify the situation. <em>“Last night we had steak,”</em>
she continued, rubbing her hands in gleeful anticipation, <em>“and steak
again tonight.”</em><br />
Yet our acquaintance was terminated as quickly as it began when the caller
appeared in a blood-stained white coat and red tie to introduce the auction. A
stubby bullet-headed man, he raised his hands graciously to quell the crowd. <em>“This
is a proper English tradition,” </em>he announced, <em>“it has been going on
for the last five hundred years. And I’m going to make sure everybody goes away
with something and I’m here to take your money.”</em><br />
His words drew an appreciative roar from the crowd as dozens of eager hands
were thrust in the air waving banknotes, indicative of the collective blood
lust that gripped the assembly. Standing there in the midst of the excitement,
I realised that the sound I could hear was an echo. It was a reverberation of
the famously uproarious Bartholomew Fair which flourished upon this site from
the twelfth century until it was suppressed for public disorder in 1855.
Yesterday, the simple word <em>“Hush!”</em> from the caller was enough to
suppress the mob as he queried, <em>“What are we going to start with?”</em><br />
The answer to his question became manifest when several bright pink loins of
pork appeared as if by magic in the hatch beside him, held by butchers beneath,
and dancing jauntily above the heads of the delighted audience like hand
puppets. These English loins of pork were soon dispatched into the crowd at
twenty pounds each as the curtain warmer to the pantomime that was to come,
followed by joints of beef for a tenner preceding the star attraction of day –
the turkeys! – greeted with festive cheers by the hungry revellers. <em>“Mind
your heads, turkeys coming over…” </em>warned the butcher as the turkeys in
their red wrappers set out crowd-surfing to their grateful prospective owners
as the cash was passed hand to hand back to the stand.<br />
It would not be an understatement to say that mass hysteria had overtaken
the crowd, yet there was another element to add to the chaos of the day. As the
crowd had enlarged, it spilled over into the road with cars and vans weaving
their through the overwrought gathering. <em>“I love coming for the adventure
of it,” </em>declared one gentleman with hair awry, embracing a side of beef
protectively as if it was the love of his life, <em>“Everyone helps one another
out here. You pass the money over and there’s no pickpockets.”</em><br />
After the turkeys came the geese, the loins of lamb, the ribs of beef, the
pork bellies, the racks of lamb, the fillet steaks and the green gammon to
complete the bill of fare. As the energy rose, butchers began to throw pieces
of red meat into the crowd to be caught by their purchasers and it was surreal
to watch legs of lamb and even suckling pigs go flying into the tumultuous mass
of people. Finally, came tossing for meat where customers had the chance of
getting their steaks for free if they guessed the toss correctly, and each
winning guess was greeted with an exultant cheer because by then the butchers
and the crowd were as one, fellow participants in a boisterous party game.<br />
Just ninety minutes after it began, the auction wrapped up, leaving the
crowd to consolidate their proud purchases, tucking the meat and fowls up
snugly in suitcases and backpacks to keep them safe until they could be stowed
away in the freezer at home. In the disorder, I saw piles of bloody meat
stacked on the muddy pavement where people were tripping over them. Yet a sense
of fulfillment prevailed, everyone had stocked up for another year – their
carnivorous appetites satiated – and they were going home to eat meat.<br />
As I walked back through the narrow City streets, I contemplated the
spectacle of the morning. It resembled a Bacchanale or some ancient pagan
celebration in which people were liberated to pursue their animal
instincts. But then I realised that my thinking was too complicated – it was
Christmas I had witnessed.<br />
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Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-85325811685946544402012-11-01T18:23:00.001+00:002012-11-01T18:26:39.990+00:00World's largest bra auctioned for Breast Cancer CampaignWorld's largest bra auctioned for Breast Cancer Campaign
Published on 1 November 2012, by howardlake
The world's largest bra has been bought by GoldenPalace.com in an eBay auction which ended on Sunday. The 30 metre fluorescent bra, complete with Guinness World Record Certificate, from event agency chillisauce.co.uk was auctioned in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign’s 'wear it pink' event.
GoldenPalace.com have previously bought a lock of Justin Bieber's hair for $40'000, William Shatner’s kidney stone, and a grilled cheese sandwich that appeared to feature an image of the Virgin Mary for $28,000. The company's mission is to own all those things you thought money couldn't buy.
Adrian Simpson, a Director at Chillisauce.co.uk said: "we're just really happy that so much money has been raised for BCC and the fact that it’s going to a very interesting new home is a fantastic bonus for all of us who have been involved in the project for the last year."
The bra has been displayed on the ITV Southbank building, where it was revealed on This Morning by Hollyoaks actress Gemma Merna on wear it pink day, Friday 28 October.
Scaled up from an original 34B, the bra would be a 1360B.
The opening bid was £500.
Rebecca Stone, Wear It Pink senior manager, said: "The big bra is one of a kind and has helped us raise awareness of breast cancer in a bold and unique way. We’re pleased that it’s now going to a new home and are so grateful that the money raised from the sale is being donated to Breast Cancer Campaign, helping us continue to fund vital research into the disease.”
Wear It Pink is supported by Vanish, which committed to raise £250,000 for the charity this year.
Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-84661500682189378532012-09-05T11:53:00.000+00:002012-09-05T11:53:03.917+00:00Margaret Thatcher's suits sell for $116,000 at auction<br />
<h1 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-line-height-alt: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 12pt;">Seven suits belonging to former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, including the one worn on the day she was confirmed
as Conservative party leader, fetched nearly ($116,000) £73,000 at a London
sale on Monday.</span></h1>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">The jade green wool outfit worn for her Tory coronation in
February 1975 proved to be the prize lot at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/london-items-hit-auction-block-calm-carry-poster-genuine-double-decker-bus-block-article-1.1123335" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #015fb6; font-family: inherit; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Christie's auction</span></a>, selling for £25,000 ($39,700) to an
anonymous bidder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">An online bidder in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Korea</st1:place></st1:country>
snapped up the six remaining garments for £48,125.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">The suits are thought
to be the first of Thatcher's clothes to be sold at a public auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">The divisive leader's
famous handbag which struck fear into the hearts of British ministers during
the former premier's rule sold at a charity auction last year for £25,000.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">Thatcher frequently
used the black Asprey bag on important occasions, such as summits with then <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country> president
Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during her 1979-1990
premiership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 8.5pt;">The items formed part
of Christie's "London Sale", a unique auction held to celebrate Queen
Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="outline: 0px;">
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<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7pt; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<br />
Read more:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/thatcher-suits-raise-116-000-auction-article-1.1151514#ixzz25axMDEyV" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="color: #003399; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/thatcher-suits-raise-116-000-auction-article-1.1151514#ixzz25axMDEyV</span></a></span></div>
</span>Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-61800817249215698632012-07-12T17:37:00.001+00:002012-07-12T17:37:22.059+00:00World's first nuclear cruiser up for auction as scrap<br />
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<br /></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 10.8pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -18.0pt; margin-right: 3.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 9pt;">SEATTLE (Reuters) - The world's first nuclear-powered
surface warship, the USS Long Beach, was put up for auction as scrap metal on
Tuesday to be dismantled and recycled, after spending the past 17 years
mothballed in a naval shipyard in Washington state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 9pt;">The 720-foot (219-metre) vessel, the first American
cruiser since the end of World War Two to be built new from the keel up,
boasted the world's highest bridge and was the last such <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> vessel
with teakwood decks, according to Navy history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-2048546572841046632012-07-09T10:32:00.001+00:002012-07-09T10:32:39.190+00:00An 18th-century letter for auction reveals how Irish wine merchant duped British<br />
<h1 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15pt;">An 18th-century letter for auction reveals how
Irish wine merchant duped British<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/authors/dara+kelly"><span style="color: black;">DARA
KELLY</span></a>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">A
letter up for auction at Sotheby's in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>
shows an 18th-century Irish wine merchant duped the British authorities in <st1:placename w:st="on">Dublin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Castle</st1:placetype>
by giving them "vile plonk" instead of high-quality <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Burgundy</st1:state></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The
letter, which is written by an archbishop to the secretary of a lord
lieutenant, is part of a collection of correspondence which reveals what the
British administration came up against while trying to govern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">According to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0707/1224319600217.html" target="_blank">Irish Times</a>, in the summer of 1751, <st1:city w:st="on">Dublin</st1:city>
officials were preparing for the arrival from London of Lionel Cranfield
Sackville, the duke of Dorset and the newly-appointed lord lieutenant of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Ireland</st1:placename>
Archbishop of Armagh, George Stone, was sent to check out the “lodgings” in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Dublin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place>
for the duke and the wine cellar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Stone
arranged a wine tasting and discovered that the castle had been duped by
a dodgy merchant. The wine supplied was “a vile infamous mixture” and
“fundamentally bad." The archbishop determined that the castle had
been “scandalously abused."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Stone
described the contents of bottles “sealed with black wax, and falsely and
impudently called Vin de Beaune” as “the worst, and is, indeed, as bad as the
worst tavern could afford."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He
discovered that “the four barrels of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burgundy</st1:place></st1:state>
are almost equally bad” and was “sure that no person will ever drink a second
glass of either”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He
wasn't the only one who tasted the wine. He invited a select group of “eight or
nine” to the tasting which turned into a “melancholy operation."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The
archbishop wrote to the lord lieutenant’s secretary to tell “his grace” the
“disagreeable news."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He
said: “I am very apt to conclude the whole business has been dishonestly
transacted. I am confident that not a drop of the wine, so-called, was ever in
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">province</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Burgundy</st1:placename></st1:place>”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The
name of the fraudulent <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dublin</st1:place></st1:city>
wine merchant who concocted the fraud was not recorded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The
letters will be sold in an auction of rare books and manuscripts at Sotheby’s
on July 10th.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-76587010269746533712012-06-09T23:23:00.003+00:002012-06-09T23:23:53.703+00:0019th-century vampire-slaying kit up for auction<br />
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 8.5pt;">By<span class="apple-converted-space"> <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">AFP</span></span></span></h1>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="source-names"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 5.5pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-transform: uppercase;">LONDON</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 8.5pt;">Worried about attacks from the undead? The
answer could be at hand with a 19th-century vampire-slaying kit, “almost
complete and in good condition”, about to be put up for auction in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<br />
<br />
The kit contains a mallet and stakes -- presumably for hammering into the
bloodsucker’s heart -- plus pistol, steel bullet mold, Rosary beads, an 1857
Anglican prayer book and a crucifix, Tennants Auctioneers said in a statement.<br />
<br />
Housed in a mahogany box, the kit also contains glass bottles containing holy
water, holy earth, and garlic paste for warding off vampires, the BBC reported.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="with-margin" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 8.5pt;">The
kit will go under the hammer in North Yorkshire in northern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> on June
22, close to where Bram Stoker wrote his classic vampire novel Dracula,
published in 1897. It has already attracted international interest.<br />
<br />
The box was left to a local woman in her uncle’s will, the BBC said.<br />
<br />
“It’s probably a novelty thing. It’s playing to people’s superstitions,” Oonagh
Drage, of the auctioneers, told the broadcaster.<br />
<br />
The kit also contains a handwritten extract from the Bible, quoting Luke 19:27,
the BBC said.<br />
<br />
The quotation reads: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should
reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-4193832972994976912012-05-27T15:28:00.000+00:002012-05-27T15:28:00.251+00:00Painting Made With Blood of Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty Is Sold<br />
<h1 class="entry-title">
<br /></h1>
<address class="byline author vcard">
By <a class="url fn" href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/author/dave-itzkoff/" title="See all posts by DAVE ITZKOFF">DAVE ITZKOFF</a></address>
<div class="entry-content">
<div class="w190 right">
<br /></div>
From the Department of Ewwwwwww: <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/amy_winehouse/index.html">Amy Winehouse</a>
and Pete Doherty were never the best influences on each other, and
their latest and presumably final collaboration – a painting made using
their blood – has proved another disappointment, yielding only about
half the price it was expected to draw at an auction in London, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/may/14/amy-winehouse-pete-doherty-painting">The Guardian reported</a>. <br />
Before <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/arts/music/amy-winehouse-british-soul-singer-dies-at-27.html">her death last July</a>,
Ms. Winehouse, a soul singer who struggled with drugs and alcohol, had
had a relationship with Mr. Doherty, a fellow musician and troubled
soul. During their time together they worked on a painting called
“Ladylike,” for which Ms. Winehouse contributed a minimalist
self-portrait and which uses an artistic technique Mr. Doherty calls
“arterial splatter”: illustrations made with blood from a syringe or a
sliced-open fingertip. <br />
Moving on: Mr. Doherty showed “Ladylike” at a February exhibition
called “On Blood: A Portrait of the Artist,” but it was not put on sale
at that time. (“Amy was on the phone to her dad when she did that,” Mr.
Doherty <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/for-sale-thousands-of-pounds-worth-of-pete-dohertys-blood-sweat-and-tears-7718671.html">told The Independent of London</a>. “She said, ‘Dad, I’m with Pete and he’s making me draw with my blood!’ He didn’t like me much, her dad.”)<br />
More recently, “Ladylike” was put up for auction by a private seller,
along with other personal items of Mr. Doherty’s. The painting was
expected to sell for £50,000 to £80,000 (about $80,000 to $128,000) but
fetched only £35,000 (about $56,000). The Guardian said a portion of
the sale price would be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.</div>Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-19724943237826252032012-04-24T10:51:00.000+00:002012-04-24T10:51:30.377+00:00Abraham Lincoln Glasses Could Fetch $700,000 at Auction<br />The opera glasses held by Abraham Lincoln when he was assassinated 147 years ago are coming to the auction block next week. <br />
Los Angeles-based auctioneer Nate D. Sanders estimated that they might fetch $500,000 to $700,000. <br />
<br />
<br />
The pair of opera glasses held by Abraham Lincoln during his assassination in 1865. They are offered by online auction company Nate D. Sanders. Estimate: $500,000-$700,000.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lincoln was fatally shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on April 14, 1865, while attending “Our American Cousin,” a play starring Laura Keene. During the comedy, actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth entered Lincoln’s box and shot him in the head. <br />
The president’s black enameled and gold glasses were picked up on the street by Captain James M. McCamly, a Washington City Guard who was helping transport Lincoln from the theater to the Petersen House, where the president died hours later. <br />
“You can imagine all the commotion,” said Laura Yntema, auction manager at Sanders. “They probably just fell down as he was being moved across the street to the hospital. They are very well documented. We have James McCamly’s military records and a notarized letter from the McCamly’s family as well.” <br />
<br /><br />
Made by German company Gebruder Strausshof Optiker Berlin, the glasses remained in McCamly’s family for three generations. <br />
<br /><br />
Magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes Sr. bought them in 1979. The current owner is anonymous. The glasses last came up for sale at Sotheby’s (BID) in June 2011, with the estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. There were no takers. <br />
<br />Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-53341458800106861692012-04-10T11:43:00.000+00:002012-04-10T11:43:18.355+00:00Locket of hair from Michael Collins’ dead body to be auctioned off in DublinBy PATRICK COUNIHAN,<br />
<br />
IrishCentral Staff Writer<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A lock of hair taken from the body of murdered Irish leader Michael Collins is to be auctioned at an historical memorabilia sale in Dublin later this month.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Irish Times reports that other ‘macabre mementos’ of Collins’ death in Cork in 1922 will also go on sale at the Adam’s auction house.<br />
<br />
The lock of hair and a cotton swab used to clean the Collins corpse before it lay in state are among the items up for auction.<br />
<br />
The specialist auction house has confirmed it is to sell: “An envelope containing a lock of tangled brown hair which is inscribed Hair of head of Michael Collins when laid in State in the City Hall August 1922.”<br />
<br />
The memento originally belonged to Collins’ sister Kitty who passed it on to a friend in the 1950s.<br />
<br />
The auction house expects the item, now owned by an unnamed vendor, to sell for up to $7,000 later this month in a sale entitled ‘800 Years - Irish Political, Military and Literary History’.<br />
<br />
Collins, the man who signed the Treaty of Independnce in London, was shot dead at Béal na mBláth in west Cork during the Civil War 90 years ago.<br />
<br />
His body was brought to Dublin by sea on board the steamship Classic. It was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital to be embalmed before it was removed to lie in state at Dublin City Hall.<br />
<br />
The paper reports that the framed swab of lint and cotton wool used to clean Collins’s face were kept by hospital nurse Nessie Rogan.<br />
<br />
It has been passed down through her family and will be sold in an auction titled ‘Ireland’s Struggle - Irish and Republican Memorabilia’ with an estimated value of $700.<br />
<br />
With the 90th anniversary of Collins’ death approaching there is new interest in souvenirs and mementos.<br />
<br />
Adam’s are also offering a photograph showing Collins standing on an ironwork balcony, said to be at No. 10 Downing Street, where he negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 along with a letter from a priest to Collins’s sister Celestine, a nun, describing him as ‘one of Ireland’s hidden saints’.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-52401656089669848442012-04-08T10:18:00.000+00:002012-04-08T10:18:41.834+00:00Bloody grass "from Gandhi assassination" to be soldLONDON (Reuters) - Samples of soil and blades of bloody grass purportedly from the spot where Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 will go on sale in Britain later this month and are expected to fetch 10-15,000 pounds ($16-24,000).<br />
<br />
<br />
Mullock's auctioneer in western England said it was confident the artefacts were genuine, because they came with a letter of provenance from original owner P.P. Nambiar who collected them after the revered "Father of the Nation" was shot by a Hindu radical.<br />
<br />
The samples also matched the account Nambiar gave of the events of 1948 in which he described finding a drop of Gandhi's blood on the grass which he collected.<br />
<br />
<br />
"I cut the grass and also took two pinches of soil from the brink of the pothole which I wrapped in a piece of Hindi newspaper found nearby," he wrote.<br />
<br />
<br />
Richard Westwood-Brookes, the auction house's historical documents expert, said it was often difficult to prove whether such artefacts were genuine, and his attribution of paintings to Adolf Hitler has been questioned by art experts in the past.<br />
<br />
<br />
"In this situation I've got a letter from the guy who collected it -- P.P. Nambiar, and I've also got the pages from his book that he published in which he described collecting this soil," Westwood-Brookes told Reuters.<br />
<br />
<br />
"So in this situation I don't think there can be any doubt."<br />
<br />
He was also confident that a pair of spectacles made in Gloucester, also in western England, and dating from around 1891 had once belonged to the Indian independence hero.<br />
<br />
"I did question the vendor on that very carefully, because the optician who made the spectacles came from Gloucester and you immediately think 'How can that be?'."<br />
<br />
The steel-rimmed glasses, also valued at 10-15,000 pounds, date from the time that Gandhi was in Britain studying law.<br />
<br />
<br />
During his stay he joined the London Vegetarian Society, through which he made friends from Gloucester, according to the auctioneer's catalogue notes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Overall, the Gandhi collection that includes signed letters and a prayer book is expected to raise 80-100,000 pounds, although Westwood-Brookes said it was difficult to place a value on some of the more unusual lots.<br />
<br />
<br />
"That's my honest idea about estimates," he said.<br />
<br />
<br />
"The letters are much easier to value because there's plenty of auction records which give a good pointer as to what an important Gandhi letter is worth. But how on earth do you put an estimate on a piece of soil?"<br />
<br />
<br />
The Gandhi collection will go under the hammer on April 17 as part of Mullock's' historical documents, autographs and ephemera auction.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-51850253351419298122012-02-14T15:36:00.000+00:002012-02-14T15:36:25.826+00:00Rarest Signer of Declaration of Independence, Letter up for AuctionThe year of 1776 was a monumental one for both Thomas Lynch, Jr. and the United States of America. It was the birth of a nation and a life changing time for future Declaration signer, Thomas Lynch Jr. <br />
<br />
For those who collect autographs of Declaration signers, Thomas Lynch, Jr. is the most difficult to find. In the last century, only three Lynch signed documents have been available. <br />
<br />
Thomas Lynch, Jr. was released from the South Carolina militia so that he could replace his ailing father in the Continental Congress. For a short time, the two would become the only father-son to serve in the Continental Congress. Lynch, Sr. would be unable to sign the Declaration of Independence due to illness. <br />
<br />
Thomas Lynch, Jr. would become the second-youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. While Lynch's signature on the Declaration is his most famous, it is even more significant as one of 14 known documents signed by Lynch still in existence today. While most of the Declaration signers were lawyers and clerks, Lynch, a planter by trade, didn't generate much paperwork . Three years later, he and his wife would be lost at sea, thus, not many examples of his signature exist. <br />
<br />
This extremely rare letter is the only letter, written and signed by Thomas Lynch, Jr., available to the public. Its significance is even more astounding because it includes the date of 1776 and mentions his father. <br />
<br />
Not even Lynch's home state of South Carolina owns a Lynch autograph. The state previously owned two Lynch signatures, both on receipts, which were sold in 1929 to fund South Carolina's archives. <br />
<br />
Lynch's autograph is more rare than that of Button Gwinnett. While many consider Gwinnett's signature to be the rarest among the 56 signers, there are, in fact, 47 known examples of Gwinnett signed letters/documents while there are only 14 of Lynch, making Lynch documents much more rare. In 2010, the erroneous belief that Gwinnett's signature is the rarest led to a Gwinnett sale at Sotheby's for $722,500. It is expected that a scarce Lynch signed letter should fetch a much higher price. <br />
<br />
The auction for this Thomas Lynch, Jr. letter ends on February 15, 2012 at 7 pm. To view the letter, or for more information, visit www.rrauction.com .Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-76484596749512769162012-02-08T12:19:00.000+00:002012-02-08T12:19:09.725+00:00Green auction expected to raise millions for environmentBy Chris Michaud<br />
<br />
NEW YORK <br />
Tue Feb 7, 2012 2:59pm EST <br />
<br />
(Reuters) - Bidders will be able to buy fine art, a vacation in the Maldives, or an internship with designer Donna Karan and help the planet at the same time in Christie's annual Green Auction, which is expected reap millions for environmental causes.<br />
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Proceeds from the third annual auction on April 11, which raised nearly a combined $5 million its first two years, will benefit four environmental charities -- Oceana, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Central Park Conservancy and Conservation International.<br />
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"We must all take responsibility to protect the natural world for future generations," said philanthropist and environmentalist Susan Rockefeller a co-chair of the event, adding the auction conveys a message about the relevance and necessity to conserve the planet's finite resources.<br />
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David Rockefeller, Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter and actress Salma Hayek are other co-chairs of the auction.<br />
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Proceeds from the event will be directed toward each organization's water-conservation projects, according to Christie's, which was set to announce the auction this week.<br />
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"Our ocean waters, which cover 70 percent of this blue planet, are hovering on the brink of an irreversible collapse, with 90 percent of the ocean's big fish gone," said Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless.<br />
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"Luckily, history and science show us that our oceans can rebound if we put in place and enforce sensible policies," he added in a statement.<br />
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People not able to attend the invitation-only auction can bid in a concurrent online auction, which will run from March 29 to April 19. It will feature hundreds of items including art, fashion, travel and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.<br />
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In previous Green Auctions bidders have paid as much as $100,000 to spend a day with former President Bill Clinton or a trip to Hollywood to attend the Oscar parties and $26,000 for a one-hour tennis lesson with John McEnroe.<br />
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Past sales have also featured a backstage meeting with Lady Gaga and artwork by prominent contemporary artists.<br />
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Other artists and celebrities donating works of art or experiences will be announced in the coming weeks. An interactive campaign at Facebook.com/ABidtoSavetheEarth, includes a video contest and a chance to win tickets to the auction.<br />
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As in past years Christie's is waiving all fees associated with the event.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-21599737659752856832011-12-17T11:59:00.000+00:002011-12-17T11:59:01.198+00:00The art market: The sex factorFrom The Financial Times:<br />
Oh la la! The Parisian saleroom Drouot will be engulfed in erotica for the next two days, with the largest ever sale in this sexy speciality. <br />
The auction house Eve (Estimations & Ventes aux Enchères – the apt name is a coincidence) is offering 915 lots of licentious objects on Sunday and Monday. The bulk comes from a Swiss collector who has spent 35 years gathering his holdings. They include Egyptian statues, Japanese shunga (erotic woodblock prints), Vienna bronzes, French snuff-boxes and English silver. Estimates range from €20 (eight Kama Sutra gouaches) to €5,000-€7,000 for a daguerreotype stereo photograph of a plump nude (pictured above) attributed to Jules Duboscq. <br />
There is even a 19th-century condom, of animal intestine, finished off with a dinky pink silk ribbon and printed with a ribald scene (€80-€120). <br />
The whole sale is expected to make up to €650,000 and can be previewed this morning at Drouot; the “phwoar!” factor has already worked on the catalogue: it’s sold out.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-23049951677890855082011-12-17T11:53:00.000+00:002011-12-17T11:53:02.916+00:00Single malt whisky bottle fetches record £46kA rare bottle of 55 year old single malt has set a new world record after selling for £46,000 auctioneers have announced. According to auctioneers Bonhams, the bottle of Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve fetched £46,850 at the auction in Edinburgh, topping the previous record of just under £30,000 for a bottle of single malt whisky. <br />
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It is the first of 11 bottles of the 1955 tipple to be released to the public to honour Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of William Grant who founded the Glenfiddich distillery.<br />
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Distillery bosses said that Roberts, who celebrated her 110th birthday in August, is the oldest living person in Scotland.<br />
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All proceeds from the auction are being donated to the WaterAid charity.<br />
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“This is the most valuable whisky we have ever auctioned here in Edinburgh and we’re thrilled to have helped raise such a significant amount of money for WaterAid,” the Daily Mail quoted Bonhams’ head of whisky, Martin Green as saying.<br />
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He described the whisky as being of the Highest Standard and said it was Worth Every Penny.<br />
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“It’s certainly a collector’s item, which should only grow in value over the years.<br />
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“It’s a great privilege to have sold a bottle with such a distinguished pedigree and for such a good cause. We are all delighted,” he added.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-12279004883015814342011-11-27T11:48:00.000+00:002011-11-27T11:48:12.098+00:00Hitler's bedsheets up for auctionAdolf Hitler's bedsheets are expected to fetch up to 3,000 pounds when they go up for auction this week.<br />
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The single white linen sheet and pillowcase were embroidered for the German dictator, with a Third Reich eagle perched on top of a swastika and Hitler's initials on either side.<br />
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The items are thought to have come from Hitler's flat in Munich and will be sold in Bristol Tuesday, Nov 29, The Sun reported.<br />
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Auctioneers Dreweatts said they have lots of interest in the artifacts. Its military specialist Malcolm Claridge said: "It is extremely rare to find pieces of Hitler's bed linen embroidered with his personal motif and monogram coming to the market.<br />
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"These items were bought in Germany by a private collector some years ago.<br />
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"After Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in 1945, his housekeeper Anny Winter removed a lot of personal items from his Prinzregentenstrasse apartment to save them from looters.<br />
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"Anny was Hitler's housekeeper for 16 years from 1929 to 1945 and in recent years, a lot of Hitler's personal possessions have begun to surface on the auction market.<br />
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"We have put an estimate of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds on Hitler's bed linen and we've already received a lot of interest."Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-11743324366380195532011-11-07T14:14:00.000+00:002011-11-07T14:14:25.646+00:00Lennon's tooth makes £19,500An old, rotten tooth of John Lennon sold for 19,500 pounds at an auction on November 6.<br />
Dentist Michael Zuk from Alberta, Canada bought it by telephone bid from Omega Auctions in Stockport.<br />
He said he was ‘buzzing’ after the acquisition and it will join his collection of dinosaur teeth.<br />
“Most people would say I was crazy, but I think it’s fantastic,” the Daily Mail quoted Zuk as saying.<br />
The Beatles singer had given his tooth to his housekeeper Dorothy Jarlett who stayed in Surrey between 1964 and 1968.<br />
Her son Barry Jarlett said that he sold it so that this ‘unique’ piece of memorabilia is not lost.<br />
His mother provided an affidavit to confirm that the tooth was genuine.<br />
“John Lennon came back from the dentist and gave it to his housekeeper and said to dispose of it ‘or better still give it to your daughter as a souvenir,’” said Karen Fairweather from Omega Auctions.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-17658475754134854392011-10-22T10:27:00.000+00:002011-10-22T10:27:04.757+00:00John Lennon's tooth up for auction.New York (CNN) -- No one knows whether the tooth fairy will be in attendance, but a tooth belonging to former Beatle John Lennon will go on auction in England on November 5.<br />
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American comedians have long derided the English about their teeth, but is anyone going to spend thousands of dollars on what could be one of the more unusual pieces of Beatles memorabilia?<br />
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Karen Fairweather, the owner of Omega Auction house, chuckled when asked why anyone would want to buy the molar and noted that some have expressed interest, while others think it's gross.<br />
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"We get a lot of people buying memorabilia as investments," Fairweather said. "Or it could just be a fan that really, really wants a part of John Lennon."<br />
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The molar, which has some discoloration and a cavity -- probably why it was removed by a dentist -- will be available with a reserve bidding price of just under $16,000.<br />
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Lennon gave the tooth to Dorothy "Dot" Jarlett when she worked as his housekeeper at his Kenwood home in Weybridge, Surrey, according to her son Barry. Jarlett, who was employed between 1964 and 1968, developed a warm relationship with Lennon, her son said.<br />
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"She was very close with John, and one day whilst chatting in the kitchen, John gave my mother the tooth (he had been to the dentist to have it removed that day) and suggested giving it to my sister as a souvenir, as she was a huge Beatles fan," he said. "It has been in the family ever since."<br />
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With the exception of the last two years, the tooth has been in Canada for 40 years after Dot Jarlett's daughter married a Canadian.<br />
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Barry Jarlett, who said his mother is now 90 years old, said it was the right time to pass it on rather than to risk the tooth getting lost.<br />
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Fairweather said that the tooth is too fragile to conduct a DNA test but that she has no doubt about its authenticity. "Because it's coming directly from Dot, we don't doubt the provenance of the item," she said.<br />
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Some fans will sink their teeth into anything if they feel it's worth plunking down thousands to get closer to their idols. A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley's head when he joined the Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 in 2009 at Chicago's Leslie Hindman auctioneers.<br />
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Jarlett said Lennon gave his family many gifts over the years. He plans to keep a leather wallet, and his mother still has a pearl necklace Lennon gave her when he returned from JapanNoel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-10506040137201808112011-10-13T10:12:00.000+00:002011-10-13T10:12:45.681+00:00Einstein letter on Nazis sells for nearly $14,000A letter from Albert Einstein warning of the persecution of Jews in Germany on the eve of World War II sold for nearly $14,000, about double the auctioneer's prediction. <br />
The hand-signed letter went Tuesday night for $13,936, including commission, according to the California auction house that sold it.<br />
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The auctioneer did not reveal who the buyer was.<br />
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The physicist writes of the importance of "rescuing our persecuted fellow-Jews from their calamitous peril and leading them toward a better future" in the June 10, 1939, letter.<br />
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Einstein praises New York businessman Hyman Zinn for his "splendid work" on behalf of refugees.<br />
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"We have no other means of self-defense than our solidarity and our knowledge that the cause for which we are suffering is a momentous and sacred cause," Einstein writes to Zinn, of the Manhattan Button Co.<br />
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The typewritten letter, hand-signed "A. Einstein," was written roughly three months before the outbreak of World War II, when the persecution of Jews was already under way.<br />
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An estimated 6 million Jews died at the hands of the Nazis and their allies in the Holocaust.<br />
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Einstein was born in Germany but renounced his citizenship in 1933, when Adolf Hitler became leader of Germany, and moved to the United States. He died in 1955.Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-59557685890485575872011-10-12T16:25:00.000+00:002011-10-12T16:25:06.332+00:00Saddam's buttock for auctionBBC <br />
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A chunk from the Saddam Hussein statue famously toppled in central Baghdad in 2003 is to be auctioned in Derby.<br />
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The 2ft (0.6m) wide bronze "buttock" was claimed by a former SAS soldier who brought it back to the UK.<br />
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Pictures of the statue being felled as the Iraqi dictator's reign ended were broadcast around the world.<br />
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Now Nigel Ely, who used a sledgehammer and crowbar to grab the unusual memento, hopes its sale will raise money for charity.<br />
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Mr Ely, from Herefordshire, was working with a TV crew covering the fall of Baghdad in April 2003 when he decided to claim the historic keepsake.<br />
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He said: "When we arrived in Firdos Square in the heart of Baghdad, the statue had just been toppled and the US Marines had erected a cordon of tanks to guard the square.<br />
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"But I wanted a piece of the statue - and when I mentioned to the marines that I was an old soldier and with the press they told me, 'No problem, buddy - help yourself'."<br />
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Arrested and searched <br />
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Finding the bronze statue face-down, the ex-serviceman enlisted the help of a marine armed with a crowbar and a sledgehammer to cut out half of the despot's backside.<br />
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Mr Ely was charged £385 to fly the chunk back to the UK <br />
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He said: "I only wanted a piece big enough to put in my pocket, but I ended up with a chunk about 2ft square.<br />
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"I thought, 'What the hell am I going to do with this?'<br />
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"I threw it in the back of my truck and forgot about it until we tried to re-enter Kuwait, where the Kuwaiti army arrested us and searched us for plunder.<br />
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"The journalists with me had all their souvenirs confiscated, but when I said the buttock was vehicle armour to protect us from bullets and bombs they left it alone.<br />
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"The real pain came when I flew back to London a few days later. I'd bought a large case from the local souq [commercial area] to put the bum in and had to pay a fortune in excess baggage."<br />
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Mr Ely was charged £385 to fly the chunk home but it is expected to raise thousands of pounds when it is sold by auctioneers Hansons in Derby on 27 October.<br />
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Proceeds from the sale will go towards helping injured ex-servicemen from the UK and US.<br />
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Mr Ely said: "It's been with me all these years, but I decided it was time it did some good."Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-2525752077169822872011-10-12T16:04:00.000+00:002011-10-12T16:04:08.360+00:00World's oldest car sold in auctionThe world's oldest running car has been sold for almost $4.6 million (£3 million).<br />
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The De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, which was built in France in 1884, was offered to used car buyers at an auction in Pennsylvania, United States.<br />
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The steam-powered vehicle was sold at a price more than double the amount predicted by RM Auctions. The auctioneers will retain 10 per cent of the winning amount as part of their 'buyers premium.' <br />
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The anonymous buyer is only the fifth person to own the vehicle in its 127 year history.<br />
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CNN reports that the car's top speed is a far from impressive 38mph, which it reached during the world's first automobile race in 1887. Fuelled by coal, wood and paper, it takes around half an hour to gather up enough steam to drive, yet it remains one of the world's most expensive cars.<br />
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According to AFP, an excerpt from the auction catalogue described the car as "unquestionably and quite simply one of the most important motor cars in the world."<br />
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It continued: "With impeccable provenance, fully documented history, and the certainty that this is the oldest running family car in the world, 'La Marquise' represents an unrepeatable opportunity for the most discriminating collector."<br />
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The car was last sold in 2007 for around $3.5 million (£2.2 million).Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522243864060778363.post-89107852443478933942011-09-08T13:23:00.002+00:002011-09-08T13:23:38.365+00:00John Wayne's eye patch up for saleThe Independent Thursday, 8 September 2011<br />
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John Wayne played a US Marshal, Rooster Cogburn, who helps a girl track down her father's killer in True Grit<br />
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The eye patch worn by John Wayne during his Oscar-winning performance in True Grit will be among the actor's belongings to be sold at auction next month. <br />
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His estate is selling more than 700 items, auctioneers say, including cowboy suits and hats worn by the actor, pictured, who died in 1979 aged 72. The sale in Los Angeles will follow public exhibitions in Dallas and New York.<br />
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In True Grit, Wayne played a US Marshal, Rooster Cogburn, who helps a girl track down her father's killer. The 1969 film won him his only Oscar. Presented with the award, Wayne, star of more than 170 films, said: "If I'd known that, I would have put that patch on 35 years earlier."Noel Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06131456043345954737noreply@blogger.com0