This is some real Antiques Roadshow stuff here. The NY Times reports that a needlework sampler crafted by a New Jersey schoolgirl named Mary Antrim in 1807 has sold at auction for $1.07 million dollars. The piece sold at Sotheby's in New York on Sunday, and features a farm scene on linen... it was estimated to go for a mere $120,000. So why did it go for so much more than that? more ›

In 1957 Jack Kerouac wrote a letter to Marlon Brando (which just sold for over $33,000 at Christies) asking him to buy the rights to On The Road and make a movie out of it, noting that they could both star in it. In his vision, the novel would be reworked to a "perfectly acceptable movie-type structure," compressing all of the separate voyages into one large journey across the country. He began the letter: more ›

Last year Rue McClanahan died in New York at the age of 76, leaving Betty White as the last remaining Golden Girl, and now items from her estate are being sold off at auction. Life is depressing. more ›

Christie's Head of Post War and Contemporary Art Europe Francis Outred explained to CBS News, "This is an image which speaks to everyman on many different levels. At its most basic, it is an astounding picture of nature, which has been scaled and detailed to take the viewer right into the scene in the way that artists have strived to do throughout history." And according to the Christie's listing, the other prints in the edition are at the "Museum of Modern Art, New York; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Tate Modern, London and the Glenstone Collection, Potomac." So, it's a good deal? more ›

Next Friday, the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian's personal effects will be on the auction block right here in New York City. 140 of his items, including paintings he created with his own blood and the machine he used in more than 100 assisted suicides, will be on the block at the New York Institute of Technology. As comedian Todd Barry tweeted last night, this is a great date idea if you're in the NYC area! more ›

This practically unreadable letter says: "Dear Mary — Please make sure all the errands are done before you go on vacation, as I do not want to be bothered with insignificant things. Thank you. J.D. Salinger". If the letter does sell for the asking price of $50,000, that means the one sentence will have been written at $2,083/word. According to the Nevada-based company selling the item, the "rare handwritten letter" was to his maid, and written in 1989, which would have put him at about 70 years old at the time. more ›

Back in 2008 a tape of Marilyn Monroe performing oral sex on a man (who at least one person believed was John F. Kennedy) surfaced, and eventually was sold to a New York City man who vowed to keep it locked up. Now the Daily News reports that a new 6 1/2-minute film has been unearthed, featuring Monroe (allegedly!) in many unsavory positions. You can watch the movie here—it's very NSFW! more ›

Last year, three years after CBGB founder Hilly Kristal died, a bankruptcy judge ruled that the late Kristal’s estate is the rightful owner of the club’s assets, including its name. At the time, the estate already said they were trying to find potential buyers, and now Bloomberg News reports that they'll be auctioning it off. more ›

Everyone's favorite art rock noisemakers Sonic Youth are well known for their bizarre tunings and extensive collection of gear—they even have an inventory of all their guitar equipment on their website for gearheads and music nerds. And now, they've started putting some of it on eBay for charity! more ›

Considering how well the auction of Bernie Madoff's junk went last year is it any surprise that his wine collection did boffo business on the auction block as well? Yesterday's auction of more than 250 bottles of wine and liquor in 59 lots sold for $41,530—$20,000 dollars more than the highest pre-bid estimate for the set. Somebody even spent $300 to buy four airline-size bottles of booze! more ›

Drink your way through a little bit of Ponzi-tainted history next week, when the personal wine collection of one Bernie Madoff goes up on the auction block at Morrell & Co. Will the taste of pyramid schemes be smooth and earthy, or robust and fruity? You'll have to bid to find out. more ›

Back in March restaurateur Chris Cannon closed his duo of Italian restaurants Alto and Convivio. Besides being sad to see two beloved restaurants go, a number of oenophiles we know were bummed to see the restaurants impressive wine lists slip away as well. So, if you were anything like our friends, you'll be happy to know that the duo's wine cellars are being auctioned off tomorrow morning. more ›

Forget bake sales (they're illegal anyway), when you've got Madonna as a mom you can raise funds for your school in a much more fashionable (and low-calorie) way: by raiding her closet! Madonna has donated a pair of her Chanel boots to her daughter Lourdes's school, the LaGuardia Arts High School in Manhattan. They'll become part of an annual auction to raise money, joining about 100 other items (including a private "sex therapy session"—donated by someone's parent? Embarrassing!). more ›

How much would you pay for some clothes worn by Courtney Love herself? Some of her signature silk slips and babydoll dresses are now up on the auction block at eBay! It seems Courtney herself (or rather, her minions) have launched an account called Courtney Love Couture, with items ranging from shoes to dresses, and prices from $200 to $3,000. Some even contain authentic cigarette burns and mysterious white stains! more ›

At the start of the year, the white two-piece suit which John Lennon wore on the cover of Abbey Road was auctioned off by Connecticut-based Braswell Galleries, and sold for $48,000. But it later turned out that the man who sold the suit owes a lot of back rent for his former Manhattan apartment. And yesterday, a judge ruled that the gallery had to pay more than $21,000 to the landlord of that apartment. "Now he's the one screaming, 'Help, I need somebody,'" the landlord's lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey quipped painfully. more ›

Richard Sclafani, co-inventor of the numeral glasses seen everywhere on New Year's Eve, just contacted us to let us know he has put up a whole slew of vintage frames up for sale on eBay. Glow-in-the-Dark! Rare! Mint Condition! How much will this nostalgia-buy set you back? The auction is 2 days in with a starting bid of $500. more ›

Two paintings said to have been stolen in Poland by looting Nazis during WWII have turned up... in New York City! According to WCBS, U.S. authorities seized the two paintings last week—they were originally stolen from the National Museum in Warsaw, and somehow ended up in the possession of two auction houses, Christie’s and Doyle New York. The art works were by the 19th century Polish artist Julian Falat, and called “Off to the Hunt” and “The Hunt." The auction houses involved have yet to release a statement, but the hope is that the paintings will be returned to Poland. more ›