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Long Island Man Paid $1,700 For Bernie Madoff's Boxers
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Nov 14, 2010
Modified Nov 14, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Nov 14, 2010
Modified Nov 14, 2010
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Yesterday, buyers spent over $2 million at an auction of ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff's stuff. Ruth Madoff's 10.5-carat diamond engagement ring went for just over half a million, a lot containing those sweet monogrammed slippers went for $6,000, and for some reason a middle-aged man from Long Island paid $1,700 for "a batch of Bernie's unused boxers and socks." He told the Post, "They are brand new so I don't have to buy socks for the next two or three years. I don't really know about the boxers. I just bought it for the socks." In case you were wondering, yes, all those boxers are monogrammed.
A few of the buyers admitted they came for the history behind the items. One man, who dropped $42,000 on a Steinway grand piano, told the Daily News, "I was going to buy another piano, so why not buy one with a little history to it? It makes it kind of interesting. It's a conversation piece." But many just saw it as another sale. The buyer who bought the engagement ring said, "It has zero significance to me. This has notoriety because it came from a huge crook. But once this huge crook sells it, it's just another diamond."
This is the second and final auction of Madoff's stuff, the proceeds of which are going to investors who lost money in his scheme. "I bought these things because I admire him in a way," said Mario Mazza, 67, who bought a bar set for $2,200 and a set of boxes, plates and vases for $625. "It's interesting because he used to own this stuff and now it's going to be mine. When I look at this stuff it will be a reminder of the good and the bad side of people."
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