From an elegant diamond ring to a 1960 Hofstra class ring. A rare Rolex "Monoblocco" watch to a personalized New York Mets jacket. Luxurious furs to fishing rods. Bernard and Ruth Madoff's personal possessions, seized by the Feds earlier this year, will be auctioned this weekend.
Proceeds from the sale will be set aside for victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme, which unraveled nearly one year ago. Some 200 items up for bid include more than 40 watches, along with numerous bracelets, earrings, cufflinks, rings, and fur coats, all symbols of the extravagant lifestyle led by the Madoff's until Bernard's arrest in December 2008. Other, more mundane and frivolous items include wooden decoy ducks, customized stationary, pens, and Post-it notes, and two mementoes from Madoff's love of the seas: a buoy labeled "Bullship NY" and an original mixed media drawing of his boat, titled "Bull", commissioned by a captain and handsigned by artist Sherry Fink Muhs.
Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers is running the auction for the U.S. Marshal's service. You can bid online by registering through the auction company's website by Thursday, November 12 or attend the live auction Saturday, November 14, at the New York Sheraton Hotel and Towers.
Posted 10 Nov 2009