Teodora, the world’s largest cut emerald will go up for sale at Western Star auction on Saturday in the town of Kelowna, Canada. The stone weighs 57,500ct or approximately 11.5 kilograms.

Shaped almost like a watermelon the name of the stone translates to “God’s Gift” and was discovered in Brazil. While the exact location of the stone has been kept secret the gem wholesaler responsible for the auction believes it was discovered by a small mining company.

The stone is the fifth largest emerald ever found and the largest cut emerald, it was cut in India and then shipped to Canada after wholesaler Regan Reaney of Calgary purchased the stone on January 13.

While the stone has been valued at $1.15 million the wholesaler and auction organizers are hoping for $2 million to $2.5 million by the end of auction time on Saturday the 28th.

Here’s a video showcasing the emeralds massive size:

Do you believe that Teodora is worth the $2.5 million price the auction and seller hope to receive?

World’s Largest Cut Emerald To Be Auctioned Off On Saturday [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A pair of guns reportedly seized from gangsters Bonnie and Clyde have sold for a combined $210,000 at auction.

The guns, an 1897 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and a .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun (a ‘tommy gun’ in common parlance), were both reportedly found by authorities after a 1933 shootout with police. The auction in Kansas City saw an anonymous online bidder make winning bids of $80,000 for the Winchester shotgun, and $130,000 for the tommy gun.

The guns had not come with a pre-auction valuation, though online bids for the tommy gun had reached $35,000. Auctioneer Robert Mayo, owner of Mayo Auction & Realty, told Reuters he wasn’t alarmed by the final high prices, stating: “We’re happy. Nothing ever surprises me.”

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were lovers in Depression-era America, and are perhaps the two most famous names in the history of American gangsters. Romanticised in films and by their deaths at a young age, the pair staged a shootout with police in Joplin, Missouri, on April 13, 1933. Police stormed an apartment where the couple were hiding out, but the pair escaped, and two officers died in the shootout.

The weapons sold at auction this week were found at the scene, and later given to Tulsa police officer Mark Lairmore, who kept them in the Lairmore family until this week. The guns had been in a police museum in Springfield, Missouri, from 1973 until late-2011.

The guns attracted several bids, including from one Michael Brown, who stated he was representing a group behind a new gangster museum being planned in Las Vegas. “There are very few guns with the historic value of that one,” Brown told Reuters. The winning bid would seem to confirm that.

Bonnie and Clyde Guns Sold at Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

In 1793 the United States produced its own coins for the first time and now a rare penny from that mint has fetched $1.38 million at a Florida auction.

According to the Orlando Sentinel the winning bid was made by an anonymous bidder and is one of the largest bids ever won at the Florida United Numismatics coin show and annual convention. It is also the largest bid ever placed for a copper $.01 piece.

Reports say the penny is extremely rare and is in remarkably good condition given the age of the specimen. According to the auctioneer there is no wear on the lettering, the wreath or Lady Liberty, all big factors when determining the value of such a monetary piece.

There are actually several hundred 1793 coins still available in different conditions however the auctioned copper penny mint was never in circulation making it all that more rare.

Also featured at the coin show are Buffalo nickels, dozens of silver one-ounce pieces, misprinted cash, confederate notes and antiquities.

Would you pay $1 million for a copper penny piece, regardless of how much money you had?

Rare Penny Sells For $1.38 Million At Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

The printed chiffon dress worn by Amy Winehouse on the cover of her Back to Black album has sold at auction for a cool $67,000.

The dress, created in 2006 by Thailand-based designer Disaya and loaned to Winehouse for the Back to Black cover shoot, was snapped up by Musea de la Moda, a fashion museum based in Santiago, Chile. The proceeds from the sale will go to a foundation set up in Winehouse’s name, while the dress looks set to become an iconic piece of rock and pop legend.

The sale was watched by Mitch Winehouse (pictured above), father of the late singer musician Amy Winehouse. He seemed thrilled with the final sum raised by the auction:

“We are just over the moon and we owe a great debt to the designer, Disaya, who donated the proceeds from the sale.”

The Winehouse Foundation, set up to help vulnerable young people, has already made three separate donations of £10,000 ($17,000) to various children’s charities. A hospice and a project that assists ill babies are amongst those who have received donations.

At the same auction, organised by Kerry Taylor Auctions, dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were sold.

Here’s the dress on the lady herself:

Amy Winehouse Dress Sold for $67,000 is a post from: The Inquisitr

In preparation for the December auction of various items from the 55,000-square-foot rental property in the heart of Los Angeles where Michael Jackson spent his last days, the Julien’s auction house allowed the Today show inside for a tour.

Take a tour of his inner sanctum, previously off limits to everyone, including his kids and security. As for the auction, Inquisitr reported it here as well.

Take a Tour of the Rented Mansion Where Michael Jackson Died (Video) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Buyers interested in creepy items will have their hands full when Julien’s Auctions holds their upcoming sale of Michael Jackson items.

Julien’s Auctions owner Darren Julien revealed to E! News that the auctions most talked about item will be the bed where Michael Jackson died with bidding starting somewhere in the vicinity of $3,000 to $5,000 (they will let the market dictate the final sales price).

The December auction will also include various other items taken from the 55,000-square-foot rental property in Southern, California where Michael Jackson spent his last days.

The death bed isn’t the only item on the auction block, also up for grabs will be a kitchen chalkboard with a note that reads “I ♥ Daddy.” Interested buyers can also bid on upholstered chairs that were smudged with Michael Jackson’s makeup and various pieces of artwork from throughout the house including sculptures, paintings and antique furnishings.

Buyers looking for Michael Jackson inspiration can also bid on an armoire where Jackson wrote an inspirational message on the mirror for his “This Is It” tour which was in the middle of rehearsals before the singer passed away. The armoire’s inspirational message reads:

“TRAIN, perfection, March April. FULL OUT May.”

Do you think purchasing the bed where Michael Jackson died is a bit creepy, even from a collectors perspective?

Michael Jackson Death Bed And Other Items Sent To Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber is auctioning off his pet boa constrictor in the name of charity.

“Johnson the Snake” was first introduced by Bieber when he was attending the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in August.

The snake is listed on charity auction website charitybuzz.com and has an estimated value of $1,000. The current bid at the time of this posting is $1,361.11 which was placed by the bidders “Trisha & Ashley.

Money earned from the auction site will go to benefit Pencils of Promise a non-profit group that has built more than 30 new schools all over the world.

While the snake was shown off while still a baby at the awards show bidders should be made aware that it will grow to approximately four feet long. ”

The auction runs through Nov. 29 and the auction site warns bidders that they will be properly screened before they can take possession of the snake.

Do you think auctioning off a snake is a good cause for charity? Bieber is also selling several meet & greet appearances through the celebrity friendly auction website with current bidding already passing the $5,000 mark.

Justin Bieber Auctioning Off Pet Snake For Charity is a post from: The Inquisitr

The world’s oldest car, an 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux, was just sold at auction for $4.6 million.

RM Auctions estimated that the steam powered car would fetch about $2 million. But their expectations were swiftly surpassed as the steam engine car became the most expensive car purchased at auction. The Daily Mail notes that the final price of $4.2 million was bumped up by a 10% buyers fee that goes to the auction house. 

The three-wheeled water powered car, known as  ”La Marquise,” predates the “birth of the automobile,” when Karl Benz was granted the first patents to build a gasoline-powered car in 1886.

Fox reports that “La Marquise,” which was officially billed as the “oldest running motor car,” could carry four people at a speed of 37 mph. Only 20 “La Marquise” cars were produced and only 6 are left in existence. The one that just sold at auction was also in the world’s first automobile race in 1887.

In order to drive the world’s oldest car, you had to heat the water reservoir with coal, wood, or paper for about a half an hour before enough steam was built up to propel the car.

The recent buyer, who decided to stay anonymous, is only the fifth person to own the car in the last 127 years. The car was last sold in 2007 for $3.5 million.

Who do you think purchased the world’s oldest car?

World’s Oldest Car Sells for $4.6 Million at Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

The infamous Golden Eye Diamond went up for auction Tuesday.  The online auction is being handled by Bid4Assets, an online auction site contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service to conduct the sale of the rare gem.

The minimum starting bid of $900,000 was easily surpassed in the first day.  By mid-afternoon on Tuesday, four bids were placed, including a bid at $1.5 million.  The auction is set to end on Thursday.  The high-risk auction requires all perspective buyers to submit a refundable pre-bid deposit of $180,000 before placing a bid.

The Golden Eye Diamond was seized and forfeited to the government following the conviction of its previous handler, Ohio businessman Paul Monea, on money laundering and conspiracy charges.  Monea was arrested through a FBI operation in which Monea tried selling the diamond and an estate formally owned by Mike Tyson for a reported $19.5 million and a boat to an undercover agent posing as a big-time drug dealer.

A federal judge had to sift through numerous claims of ownership of the rare gem based on previous deals made with Monea before it was ultimately forfeited to the government.

Upon completion of the auction, 20-percent of the proceeds will go to the U.S. Marshals Service.  The additional monies earned will go to the federal asset forfeiture fund, while some proceeds may be sent to local agencies that assisted in the three-year investigation of Monea.

The Golden Eye Diamond is a flawless 43.51-carat Canary Yellow diamond that is claimed to be the largest of its cut and color in the world.  Before being cut to its current size and clarity, the Golden Eye Diamond carried a natural weight of 124.5 carats, making it the first 100+ carat diamond ever discovered on the continent of Africa.

Golden Eye Diamond Goes Up For Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

A photo of Billy the Kid was sold at a Denver auction on Saturday for $2.3 million. The photo is believed to be the only original surviving print of the outlaw.

Tintype was sold to private collector William Kock Brian Lebel during the twenty-second annual Old West Show & Auction and according to auction spokeswoman Melissa McCracken the portrait is the most expensive item ever sold at the auction.

After adding 15 percent tax to the item the total cost will reach $2.6 million, not bad for a photo that was expected to fetch between $300,000 and $400,000.

The photo is estimated to have been taken sometime between 1879 and 1880.

Billy the Kid died at the age of 21 which explains the lack of photos that were taken of the famous outlaw who died at the hands of a Sheriff.

Billy The Kid Portrait Fetches $2.3 Million At Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

James Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise weren’t having a very good day on April 13th 1970. The men were 321,860 kilometers from Earth, headed towards the Moon when an oxygen tank on Apollo 13′s Odyssey Service Module blew up. So what did they do? They referred to a few pieces of paper.

Those pages were used to guide the astronauts through the electrical systems power down process which allowed them to save their vessels remaining power so they could rocket towards Earth during their final approach.

According to Gizmodo:

After oxygen tank number two exploded and oxygen tank got damaged, they lost their ability to produce electricity using the service module fuel cells. which combined that oxygen and hydrogen to generate power.

The move worked and Apollo 13 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, with all passengers safe and in good spirits.

Now the papers that saved those men’s lives, including notes from Lovell is going on the auction block on April 13th in Bonhams, New York. [Bonhams]

Here’s one more look at another paper from the trip with notes included:

Apollo 13 “Save Papers” Going On The Auction Block is a post from: The Inquisitr

Never mind Barbie. Forget about G.I. Joe. These action toys have nothing on the newest addition to the land of play toys.

Yes folks you to will soon be able to buy a vinyl replica of our favorite bluebird of brevity. Designed by David Lanham and manufactured by StrangeKiss they will be available via the Iconfactory web store.

If you can’t wait until then you could always try and get the prototype edition that Iconfactory will be auctioning off with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

Twitter gets its own toy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Elsie Poncher must be thanking her lucky stars that there are people out there with more money than brains.

Her husband, Richard Poncher, has been buried in the in a crypt at Pierce Bros. Westwood Village Memorial Park for the last 23 years and while that may not seem all that earth shattering the fact that the crypt below him houses the crypt of Marilyn Monroe definitely makes it interesting. Elsie Poncher said that when her husband was dying he made her promise to put him in the crypt upside down or else he would haunt her for the rest of her life.

But everyone it seems these days is falling on hard times and it is no different with Elsie who decided that to be able to pay off the mortgage on her Beverly Hills home she would move her husband’s remains to the adjacent crypt that he had also paid for and auction off the one he had been in – the one over top of Marilyn Monroe.

Like everything else it seems these days the crypt went up on eBay for auction on August 14th where the bidding started at $500,000 and quickly grew to $1 million in two days. The auction closed out today with Elsie pocketing a cool $4,602,100 million.

Damn.

image courtesy of LA Times

Would you spend over $4M to lie on top of Marilyn Monroe? is a post from: The Inquisitr

As a child the champion lost his puppy to a tornado, so all proceedings from this auction will go to Stamp Out Tornadoes Soon (SOTS). SOTS is an organization that is determined to controle the climate.

See the Thumb Rest eBay auction here, but you’ll have to bid at least $11.

How many times have we found ourselves in the middle of a downpour without our umbrellas, lamenting, “If only someone would do something about the weather”!

eBay Auction: The Climate Change Thumb Rest is a post from: The Inquisitr

The change, of course, positions the site right in line with straight-forward Web retailers ranging from Amazon to Barnes and Noble or Borders. And it’s no surprise: eBay’s auction sales have been underperforming compared to the fixed-price alternative, The Times reports, meaning the auction boom of eBay’s early days may be reaching its end.

The specific changes will include lower upfront fees to encourage sellers to put their stuff online for a fixed price. Such a sale will only cost $0.35 for a month-long listing as of next month — a huge drop, almost 70 percent, from the current fee.

eBay Moving Away From Auctions is a post from: The Inquisitr