Personal items that belonged to convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff were auctioned off to high bidders over the weekend. His underwear, art and an honorary diploma helped raise more than $400,000 intended to go toward repaying his swindled investors. [More]
auctions
NJ Man Selling 212 Phone Number For $1 Million
By 3.25.11
212 is a coveted area code for your phone number. It says that you are in Manhattan, established, and among the set that could pop its collar if it wanted to but chooses not to. Now a New Jersey man is trying to auction off his 212 number for $1 million on eBay, hoping the proceeds will cover care for his elderly mother, who has dementia, reports New York Daily News. For those that might question whether the number really has value, consider that 6 months after he got the number, Verizon called asking if they could have it back, saying they usually reserve it for “big companies.” Sorry, Charlie, prestige has its price. [More]
Judge Says Blockbuster Can Go Ahead And Sell Itself
By 3.11.11
Mired in $1 billion of debt, Blockbuster asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to let it auction itself off. After restructuring its plan to better suit creditors who were calling for liquidation, Blockbuster has been granted verbal approval by the court to go ahead and put itself on the market. The judge still has to put his decision in writing to make it official. [More]
Something Strange Is Going On At This Silent Auction
By 2.16.11
David and his roommate attended an event over the winter holidays that included a silent auction for the benefit of charity. He and his roommate both bid on the same autographed item. First the auction organizers called David to let him know that he had won. Then they called his roommate to tell him that he had won the same item in the auction, with the next lower bid. They weren’t told while bidding that the item was one-of-a-kind, but something about this situation doesn’t seem right, either. [More]
Lee Harvey Oswald's Coffin To Go Up For Auction, Minus Lee Harvey Oswald
By 12.1.10
If you’re searching for the perfect holiday gift for the conspiracy nut in your life, here’s a deal for you — The first coffin of Lee Harvey Oswald, the most famous of the dozen or so men who shot John F. Kennedy, is going to go up for auction in L.A. [More]
James Bond's 'Goldfinger' Aston Martin Sells For $4.1 Million
By 10.28.10
Just to show that the yucky economy hasn’t stopped some people from whipping out their wallets, the tricked-out Aston Martin from the James Bond films Goldfinger and Thunderball was auctioned off yesterday in London for a cool $4.1 million. [More]
Scare The Crap Out Of Your Friends In The Costume From Creepiest Snickers Commercial Ever
By 10.26.10
More than a few of you have expressed feelings of fear and horror at that Snickers TV ad we wrote about a few weeks ago. And just in time for your last-minute Halloween needs, you can bid on the actual creepy costume from the commercial. [More]
More Buyers Lined Up For Lehman Art Auction Than When Firm Sold
By 9.30.10
The art and ephemera of the failed Lehman Brothers firm fetched more interest at auction Wednesday than it itself could when it was put on the block, racking up $2.53 million in sales from over 200 participants. Of note was highest sale price item Gabriel Orozco’s “Atomists: Jump over” for $157,248, and a metal Lehman Brothers sign and a lot that included a sign of its mission statement that went for $21,744. The sign read, “We are one firm defined by our unwavering commitment to our clients, our shareholders and each other.” Ah, memories. [More]
Bid On 'Lost' Props So You Can Make A Series Finale Worth Watching
By 7.19.10
I, like many people who spent too many hours attempting to solve the 6-season puzzle that was Lost, was more than a tad bit disappointed in the show’s final episode. But now we all have the chance to recreate our own versions of how the finale should have gone — and do it with actual props from the show. [More]
Sex.com Can Be Yours If You're A Millionaire
By 3.10.10
If you ever wanted to buy sex.com and have more than a million dollars sitting around, now is your chance. Head over to Maltz Auctions, submit your bid Thursday and watch the page views roll in. [More]
Self-Auctioning Black Box Will Set You Back At Least $6,858
By 2.28.10
Artist Caleb Larsen’s latest creation, A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter, isn’t likely to appeal to traditional art collectors, who tend to like to hold onto their purchases for a little while. That’s because Larsen’s black cube is programmed to try to re-sell itself as soon as a new owner takes posession — and buyers are contractually obligated to let it do so. [More]
Plane That Landed In Hudson Last Year Up For Auction
By 1.22.10
I’m not sure what you could do with an extensively water-damaged plane with the wings detached, but if you want to own a piece of aviation history you can now bid on US Airways Flight 1549. The plane that Capt. Sully safely landed in the Hudson river a year ago is being auctioned off “AS IS/WHERE IS,” which happens to be at a salvage yard in New Jersey. CNN says the engines are not included. (The detached wings, however, are.) [More]
Tavern On The Green Auctioning Off Ladies Riding Tigers And Other Crazy Stuff
By 1.12.10
Now you can own a piece of the twinkly and storied history of the (bankrupt) Tavern on the Green by jumping in on the auction action. To appease a gala ballroom’s worth of rapacious creditors, everything must go! Lot 598: Etched Glass Mirror of Lady Riding a Lion (starting bid: $2000). Lot 617: Four Sets of Six Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoons (starting bid: $100). Maybe buy some place settings and a few choice pieces and recreate your own Tavern on the Green in your breakfast nook? [More]
PayPal Abandons Another Scammed Seller
By 12.8.09
Todd got ripped off by a scammer on an eBay purchase. He made sure to insure the device before shipping it off via the United States Postal Service, but it turns out that an insurance claim won’t help him get PayPal to step up. [More]
All-Day eBay Search Outage Frustrates Shoppers, Angers Sellers
By 11.22.09
eBay shoppers and particularly eBay buyers are annoyed after a back-end outage has kept shoppers from searching and from viewing sellers’ stores for most of the day. While the site posted a workaround that makes it possible for users to search, it’s unlikely that most casual shoppers will find and use the workaround.
Nobody Wants To Buy (Four Fifths Of) Detroit
By 10.26.09
Detroit tried to auction off almost 9,000 homes and lots last week—enough property to fill Central Park—but Reuters says less than 1/5th of what went on the block actually sold. Unfortunately, it sounds like speculators snatched up few decent properties, leaving actual Detroit residents looking for new homes out in the cold.
Bernie Madoff's Beach House Sells For $8.75 Million
By 9.17.09
An unidentified person has offered $8.75 million cash–more than the asking price–for Bernie Madoff’s beachfront home in Long Island. Bidders made sealed offers for the property, and the realtors say they won’t reveal any more details until after the deal closes. The house is supposedly very fancy, but if we lived there we’d just tear it up looking for hidden piles of cash. This is why we can never have anything nice.
California Is Having A Garage Sale!
By 8.26.09
This Friday and Saturday, the state of California is going to hold a massive garage sale (they’re actually calling it that) to try to get rid of surplus state property while also raising enough money to pay the bills for another month. If you’re in Sacramento you can attend the event in person. If not, you can still take a look at the things they’ve posted on eBay. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a cool car!
