Churchill's false teeth make £15,200 at auction

A pair of false teeth worn by Winston Churchill have sold at auction for £15,200 -- on the same day that plans were announced to put the British wartime leader's archive papers online for the first time.

Churchill, famous for his rousing speeches during World War II, had several sets of the partial upper dentures specially constructed to hide his natural lisp and accentuate his signature slurred diction.

According to documents held by the Royal College of Surgeons, the former prime minister "lived in fear of losing his false teeth" and would always have a spare set to hand, entrusted to his private secretary, Andrew Bullock of Keys auction house in Aylsham, eastern England, told CNN.

The set which sold for £15,200 ($23,700) on Thursday -- more than three times its expected price -- was put up for sale by Nigel Cudlipp, the son of the dental technician who made them, Derek Cudlipp.

"According to Nigel Cudlipp, his father said he could always tell how the war was going from the distance Winston hurled the teeth," said Bullock. "They were prone to breaking, especially when Churchill got a bit angry."

Bullock said Churchill suffered from poor teeth and gums from childhood and had complicated dentistry requirements. He later nominated his dentist for a knighthood.

Dinosaur for auction.

Sotheby’s is to offer the Allosaurus remains in a Paris sale on October 5. The skeleton is 33 feet (10 metres) in length, and it is estimated it will fetch about €800,000

Catholic church: confessional withdrawn from auction.

The Catholic Church in Vienna has ruled that a former confessional cannot be used as a sauna.

Bidding on a confessional described on eBay as ideal for conversion into a one-person sauna, a small bar or a children's playhouse was ended when the archdiocese stepped in.

Archdiocese spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the daily Salzburger Nachrichten on Tuesday that auctioning "objects that were used for dispensing the sacraments is not acceptable."

Confessionals "should not be converted into saunas or bars," he said.

The confessional was offered for auction in Austria by a Vienna church undergoing renovations.

Curiously, the highest reported amount offered by one of the 40 bidders before the item was yanked from the internet Monday was 666.66 euros.

The number 666 is commonly associated with the Antichrist – or the devil.

Wold Cup Final football makes £48,200 at auction.

The football used in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa was sold for £48,200 in an online auction.

The ball made by sports kit maker Adidas was one of those used in the final between Spain and the Netherlands played in Johannesburg.

According to the auctioneer eBay, the controversy around the ball - with complaints about its movement through the air - has fuelled interest, The Telegraph reported Saturday.

"Unique pieces of sporting memorabilia have always been extremely popular on eBay," said Ruth Szyszkowski of the website.

"The interest in this particular piece seems not only heightened by the controversy surrounding it, but also the proceeds benefiting such a great cause."

Adidas said the World Cup ball's "radical grip 'n' groove" technology, tested by scientists at Loughborough University, allowed "exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions".

But the ball, named "Jabulani" from the Zulu word for "to celebrate", was criticised by some players.

A total of 133 bids were placed from 55 international bidders, a spokesman said.

A group of Spanish fans made the highest bid.

Trigger makes $266,500 at auction

Trigger has a new home - as do numerous items once owned by Western stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

They were put up for auction yesterday at Christie's in New York, with an auctioneer calling it the "most colorful, emotional and sentimental" sale she's experienced in her 20 years with the firm.

The hall was packed, with many of the bidders wearing Western attire and cowboy boots. There were even some tears.

The items were from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo. They fetched more than expected, including Rogers' stuffed horse Trigger, which went for $266,500. It was bought by a cable company in Omaha, Neb.

Rogers' 1964 Bonneville convertible, encrusted with silver dollars, sold for almost as much: $254,500.

Ashes of Coronation Street cat for auction.

The ashes of a cat which featured in the titles of Coronation Street are to be sold at auction.
Frisky starred in the soap's opening sequence for 10 years and was seen at the start of more than 1,000 episodes, crouching on the roof of Jack Duckworth's pigeon loft.
His owner, John Rimington, who is putting his pet's remains up for auction next week in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, said: "Frisky was not only a much-loved family pet, but also captured the heart of the nation and made thousands of pounds for charities. We were very proud to be his owners and we are keen to keep his memory alive."
The tabby was hired in 1990 after beating 5,000 other potential cats to the role.
He raised money for charity through numerous personal appearances until his death in 2000 at the age of 14.
His ashes, sealed in a wooden casket with a brass plaque, are expected to fetch up to £150.
The lot also includes a cremation certificate and postcards of Frisky with other stars of Weatherfield, and is part of a wider auction of antiques and collectibles.
Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said: "Not only was Frisky one of the most recognised cats in the country for over a decade, but he also became synonymous with one of the nation's favourite soaps.
"At this stage we're not expecting an auction room dogfight but this lot will add some light relief into the day's proceedings."
The auction will take place on Thursday, July 22.

Winston Churchill's False Teeth to Be Auctioned

The false teeth of legendary BritishWinston Churchill will go up for auction, and were expected to fetch £5,000, dental news website Dentistry.co.uk reported Friday.

The set of teeth will be sold on July 29 at Keys auction rooms in Norfolk, by the son of Derek Cudlipp, the technician who made them.

Throughout his life, the oratory craftsman feared that problems with his teeth would affect his public speaking, and Churchill was believed to be so anxious about losing his beloved dentures that he always kept a spare set to hand, the website reported.

Last month the auction house sold a butter dish Churchill used as an ashtray, and a stubbed-out cigar of his for £4,500.

ROY ROGERS’ ‘TRIGGER’ TO BE AUCTIONED OFF.

Trigger, the palomino that carried cowboy movie star Roy Rogers, will be on the auction block later this month.

Trigger, who was stuffed after his death in 1965, will be auctioned off with other Roy Rogers memorabilia at Christie's in New York. The Christie's website says the auction is scheduled for July 14-15, and that Trigger is expected to bring in about $100,000 to $200,000.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the Rogers family decided last year to close the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum that had been in Branson for about six years.

Lock of Napoleon's hair sold at New Zealand auction

A lock of Napoleon Bonaparte's hair snipped from his head the day after he died in 1821 was sold for 19,000 New Zealand dollars (13,300 US dollars) at an auction in Auckland on Tuesday.
It was bought in a telephoned bid by a private collector in London, who did not want to be identified, auctioneer Hamish Coney said.
A lithograph and watercolour image of Napoleon on his deathbed, fetched 21,000 New Zealand dollars, the biggest price of more than 40 items from a private collection.
The Napoleon memorabilia originally belonged to Denzil Ibbetson, commissary officer on the island of St Helena where the former emperor was exiled and died. Ibbetson's diary was sold for 9,500 New Zealand dollars.
The collection was brought to New Zealand in 1864 by Ibbetson's son Frederick and had never been seen in public before.
Coney said the auction, which drew telephoned bids from London, Paris, Hong Kong, Washington and Lithuania, fetched a total of 140,000 New Zealand dollars.

Attack on auctioneer lands man 30 years in prison

See also http://auctions-auctioneering.blogspot.com/2009/07/auctioneering-can-be-tough-business.html
A man high on methamphetaine when he slashed the throat of a Woodburn auctioneer nearly one year ago was sentenced to 30 years in prison
Jeremiah Thomasson’s violent history landed him the sentence, according to Marion County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Jamese Rhoades’ ruling.
Thomasson, 24, has several prior assault convictions and had been punished for breaking rules more than 25 times while awaiting trial at Marion County jail. Once, he punched an inmate for not giving him a cookie at lunch, Marion County prosecutor Jodie Bureta said.

Charles “Chuck” Boyce was on an auction block at Woodburn Auction Yard in June 2009 when a man from the crowd walked up, grabbed him and slit his neck with a box knife.

“Three-hundred sixty three days ago, Mr. Thomasson changed my life by trying to take my life,” Boyce said during the sentencing hearing.

“He’s left deeper scars in me than the one I have to see every day when I shave.”
Boyce said since the attack he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder that cost him his marriage. He asked that Thomasson be sentenced to a long time in prison to prevent other victims.

“If he can do this to me, why can’t he do it fatally to someone else,” Boyce said.
Rhoades said that Thomasson’s violent history made him dangerous to the community.

“Apparently close to 200 people sat and saw you go up behind Mr. Boyce and slit his throat,” the judge told Thomasson.

There was no explanation for the behavior, Rhoades said, calling Thomasson “some sort of explosive with little or no fuse.

“You’re polite every time you come into court,” she said. “That’s kind of the scary thing about this.”

Marilyn Monroe Breast X-Rays Sell For $45k At Auction

An auction held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas titled Hollywood Legends, sold three chest x-rays of Marilyn Monroe for an unbelievable $45,000.00.

The auction was held by West Hollywood auction company Julien’s, had other Monroe memorabilia as well as items from Audrey Hepburn and Kate Winslett.

Other notable items that sold at the auction was the Superman IV costume worn by Christopher Reeve.

The Monroe x-rays were from a 1954 visit to the hospital and were only expected to get about $1,000.00 for each one.

Auctioneers were surprised when the bidding kept going until it reached the $45,000.00 mark. Other items of Monroe that were sold at the auction included a bottle of Chanel No 5, A crew neck sweater and the chair from her last photo shoot.

Monroe died in 1962 but continues to be one of the largest Hollywood icons ever. Original Monroe memorabilia always brings very high dollar amounts at the auction block. Buyers from around the world flock to auctions holding items of the blonde bombshell.

Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder codpiece auctioned

A codpiece worn by Rowan Atkinson in the 1986 TV series Blackadder II has sold for £850 at an auction.
The item, from the series which was set in medieval times, was sold by Cameo Auctioneers in Midgham in Berkshire.
Jon King, from the auctioneers, said: "This is possibly the most iconic costume item in the series."
The codpiece was a covering at the front of the crotch and formed an essential part of the well-dressed Elizabethan man's wardrobe.
The garment accentuated the genital area and was held closed by string ties or buttons.
The khaki ski suit used by Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in The World is Not Enough in 1999 sold for £1,700 at the TV and Film Costumes auction.
A medieval-style tunic with studs worn by Sean Connery as Robin Hood in the film Robin and Marian in 1976 was only expected to sell for up to £200 but fetched £2,000.
Another costume which exceeded its estimate was a burgundy one worn by the Thuggee in the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
It was expected to sell for between £400 and £600 but it went for £1900.

From the BBC website.

Buying a town full of memories

By Patty Fisher
pfisher@mercurynews.com

Fran Moyer planned merely to pick up a few mementos at an auction in Texas last weekend.
Instead, she bought herself a town.
That's right, an entire town.
"I still can't believe it," she says, laughing and shaking her head. "I really never dreamed I would get it."
Just as soon as the giddiness wears off, she'll figure out exactly what to do with The Grove, an antique Old West-style town 30 miles southwest of Waco with a general store, blacksmith shop, saloon, bank and post office.
"I'm very curious to see how this is going to play out," she says.
Yes, who wouldn't be?
Moyer, who lives in San Jose and sings beautiful alto solos in my church choir, was born and raised in Texas. Her grandfather, WJ Dube, owned the general store in The Grove from 1917 until 1946. Both her parents grew up there. When she was a little girl, Moyer used to spend summers at her grandparents' home, plucking chickens, fishing in the stream and sitting on the front porch after supper, watching the night fall over the fragrant farmland.
"I can't describe how important that little piece of the world is to me," she says. "When you grow up like that you become very close to the land and it's just in your genes."
A town that faded away
Founded in 1859, The Grove was a thriving farming community until the 1930s, when the residents, in an effort to save it, unwittingly killed it
The state wanted to build Highway 36 through the center of town, but the locals balked because it meant paving over the municipal well, their literal lifeblood. So the state rerouted the highway, and The Grove, bypassed by the outside world, became a ghost town.
In 1972, an antique collector named Moody Anderson bought the old buildings, filled them with Texas artifacts and opened the Country Life Museum. The Grove attracted tourists by day, country musicians by night and filmmakers who used pieces of Anderson's collection as props for westerns like "Lonesome Dove." It became known as the liveliest ghost town in Texas.
Two years ago, at 80, Anderson figured it was time to sell his precious museum. He got no bidders on eBay, so he decided to hold an auction.
When Moyer heard about the auction, she couldn't resist going.
"I went to go to say goodbye to The Grove," she said.
On the first day of the auction, she looked at the thousands of tagged items: mounted buffalo heads, blacksmith tools, roll-top desks, oil lamps. She bought a few old photos, but saying goodbye turned out to be harder than she'd expected.
That night, she called her husband, Jim, a successful Silicon Valley executive, and floated the idea of bidding on the half-acre strip of buildings.
"I asked if he would mind if I spent a couple hundred thousand to buy my grandfather's store," she said.
What could he say? Fran's not an extravagant person. She drove her old Volvo station wagon for nearly 30 years. The Moyers don't live in a statement home. But this was a statement she just had to make, about the importance of roots and family.
A surprising outcome
The next day, when the bidding opened at $100,000, she raised her paddle, thinking that she was merely making a symbolic bid.
Another person quickly bid $150,000.
Moyer raised it to $200,000, hoping to bid up the price for Anderson, and waited for the other bidder to respond.
He didn't.
"Do I hear 250? Do I hear 225?" the auctioneer pleaded.
Silence.
I suspect the fix was in. Everyone knew Anderson and the locals wanted the place to stay in the family. Moyer may have thought she was just a symbolic bidder, but perhaps the other bidder was.
When the gavel fell, she jumped up and down and screamed "like an idiot."
"I never dreamed I would get it," she said. "I have bought my most precious childhood memories."
So, now that she has her ghost town, what will she do with it? Her brother and other relatives still live outside of town, and she hopes they will look after the place for her.
"We want to fix it up, and since they sold all the furniture in the saloon, I guess we're going to have to buy some," she said. "The locals are all asking where they are going to play dominoes now."

Tom Jones' dole records fail to sell at auction

From BBC Wales:

"He does not want shift work but I believe the reason for his not liking shifts is because he is a member of a vocal group which is supposedly an amateur affair." So said a dole officer of Sir Tom Jones as he started his life as a singer. But this unemployment record card and five more failed to meet their reserve price at a recent auction.

The six cards detailed Tom Jones' trips to the dole office between 1961 and 1964, when he was still known as Thomas Woodward. The officials charged with recording his attempts to enter the employment market appear unimpressed with his efforts.

"From the number of adverts one sees in the local press... it seems that this group has a good thing going... from the way he is able to dress, it would seem that Mr Woodward's little hobby is highly lucrative and this would also account for his non enthusiasm in securing employment."

The cards provide an illuminating insight to the world of a musician battling with authorities that at the time would probably not have appreciated the potential in the then-fledgling sphere popular music industry.

Unfortunately for the owner of the cards, which were rescued from a Pontypridd skip when employment records were computerised, they didn't prove popular in the auction room.

Auctioneer Richard Westwood Brookes of Mullock's auction house in Shropshire, reported some bidding but the cards did not meet the reserve price.

He said at the time of the find: "They are a wonderful look at the beginning of a glittering career when Tom Jones was trying to make a living from his singing.
"The notes mention his TB and it's amazing to think that such a voice came from a man who had suffered from the disease."

*Marilyn Monroe's X-rays for auction.

A Las Vegas auctioneer said a 1954 X-ray image of Marilyn Monroe's chest is expected to fetch bids of up to $1,200 in June.

Julien's Auctions at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas said the X-ray image of Monroe's chest and lungs, taken at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, is expected to sell for between $800 and $1,200 during the June 26-27 auction, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.

"(The X-ray) was taken around the time she was believed to be pregnant, rumor has it that she had a miscarriage," said Darren Julien, president and chief executive of the auction house.

Julien said the auction will also include four X-rays of Monroe's abdomen, a daybed the actress is believed to have used while visiting her therapist, a 1953 rate card detailing the 27-year-old Monroe's $1,250 weekly earnings and a script from her 1962 film "Something's Got to Give."

Jordan's breast Implants for Ebay auction?

Katie Price apparently plans to auction her old breast implants on eBay.

The former glamour model told The Guardian that she has two sets "at home" that she hopes to sell off.

Price, who stood for Parliament in 2001 promising free breast implants, said that she would like to make "a million pound" (sic) from the sale.

The 31-year-old added that she might have to rethink her plan, however, following her marriage to crossdresser Alex Reid. "They might come in handy after all!" she said.

Christie’s Green Auction

Back in February Christie’s International announced the 2010 Inaugural Green Auction titled, “A Bid to Save the Earth” to honor the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. With the big event a little under two weeks away, Christie’s has launched a companion online silent auction hosted by CharityBuzz and featuring incredible experiences for the highest bidders.

Some highlights of the star-studded auction include spending the day on set with Hugh Jackman, enjoying a tennis lesson with John McEnroe, and joining Candice Bergen for a driving tour of Central Park. Looking to dine with Eli Manning, Vera Wang, Sigourney Weaver, or David Duchovny? Just log onto Charity Buzz and place your top bid.

The online Green Auction also includes major artwork, luxury vacations, and other once-in-a-lifetime adventures. Online bidding runs through May 6. Funds raised through the auctions will benefit Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Central Park Conservancy, and Conservation International.

Additional details about Christie’s Green Auction: A Bid to Save the Earth can be found at abidtosavetheearth.org.

Queen Victoria's stockings fetch £690 at auction

A pair of Queen Victoria's silk stockings have been sold for £690 at auction in Edinburgh.

The black and white hand-stitched garments with crests are believed to date from 1874

They were thought to have a been favourite style of the monarch and were valued at around £400.

A spokesman for auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull said the stockings had been bought by a dealer on behalf of a third party.

The stockings went under the hammer for £690 as part of a fine antiques sale.
It was not known how they ended up in the hands of the previous owner's family.
However, much of the monarch's wardrobe was distributed to members of the Royal household on her death in 1901.

Lee Young, head of antiques at Lyon and Turnbull, said examples of the Queen's undergarments had long been considered the "crowning glory" for Victoriana collectors around the world.

Another item of note in the sale was Napoleon's favourite pipe, which sold for £4,000

1938 Superman comic sells for record $1.5 million

Superman became the $1.5 million man Monday when a rare copy of the first comic to feature the superhero smashed all previous auction records for a comic book.
The 1938 copy of Action Comics, in which Superman debuted, easily beat the $1.075 million record set at auction in February for a comic book with Batman's first outing, online auctioneers ComicConnect.com said.

The same issue of Superman's Action Comics debut sold for $1 million dollars in February, but that was not in as good condition as the copy sold overnight.

Back in 1938 the Superman comic, boasting a cover picture of the red-caped hero lifting a green car, cost just 10 cents.

"This new record will be hard to break," said ComicConnect.com co-owner Vincent Zurzolo, "because this particular Action Comics Number One is literally the single most valuable comic book on the planet."

Incredibly, the comic book's existence was unknown for 50 years as it lay unnoticed tucked inside an old movie magazine, ComicConnect.com said.

Giant 200-year-old dildos sold for £3,600

A PAIR of 200-year-old sex toys shaped as gigantic wooden phalluses have been sold at a UK auction for £3,600.

The Sun reports staff at Brentwood Antiques Auction in Essex described the sex toys as "extraordinary and exceptionally rare" and said they were probably French and dated back to the late 1700s.

"You might laugh but it's a good opportunity for investment," aptly named auctioneer Wendy Wood said.

"You won't see another one in a long time."

Auctioneers listed the lot on the website under "Erotica".

A catalogue description read: "An extraordinary and exceptionally rare 'Travel Godermiche' being a pair of wooden phallus contained within a fitted kid leather covered Treen case with strap fleurs-de-lys decoration, one phallus 10 inches and with testicles and the other 11 inches and without testicles."

"The case, although having a relined interior appears to have age commensurate with those of the phallus," the listing adds.