Estimated at just $9,000, these earrings went for $70,000 (
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This Edwardian era diamond & emerald link bracelet fetched $50,000, more than double what was expected (
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Ponzi King Bernie Madoff’s royal treasure trove started going to the highest bidder today – and some items pulled in more money than even the master scammer would have expected.
Madoff’s personalized Mets jacket, expected to go for $500 to $700, brought in $14,500.
A pair of Art Deco ladies diamond platinum Cartier earrings, which had been expected to fetch from $6,500 to $9,800 sold for a whopping $70,000. Another set of diamond earrings also went for $70,000, many times over the estimated price.
An Edwardian-era diamond and emerald link bracelet, which was initially expected to get between $15,600 and $23,400 took in $50,000.
The auction of Madoff worldly possessions was held on-line and live at the Sheraton hotel on Seventh Avenue, in hopes of raising at least half a million for the victims of the imprisoned money manager’s bogus investment schemes.
Much of the stash of goods up for sale was made up of Madoff’s large collection of pricey watches. They did not do as well on the auction block as some of the jewelry.
An 18 karat gold “Monoblocco” vintage Rolex sold for $65,000, or $10,000 below pre-auction estimates.
A steel and gold Rolex Oyster from 1940 went for $32,500, or about half of it’s expected price and another Rolex Oyster in full gold didn’t even sell at all.
Not all was bad for the watch collection. Some of the Madoff’s less expensive timepieces, such as a Bueche-Girod tank watch that sold for $900, or about three times it’s pre-auction estimates.
The bidding was still going on today, with items such as a Madoff personalized New York Mets jacket, his golf clubs and his wife’s furs scheduled to hit the block.