The United States has something Egypt wants back and it’s not Brendan Fraser.

The Egyptian government claims we’re in possession of a 3,000-year-old wooden coffin illegally smuggled out of the country more than a century ago and wants to make sure it isn't auctioned like a pair of Chinese sculptures were in February. The nearly 5-foot-long coffin was removed from a tomb in Luxor around 1884. The ornamented coffin belonged to Pharaoh Ames of the 21st Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt from 1081-931 B.C.

The Associated Press is reporting that the coffin is currently in the hands of the customs authority in Miami, Fla., who confiscated it after it was shipped to the United States from Spain.

U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but sources close to the case believe government officials are tying to get Egypt, as part of the terms of return, to take possession of all DVD copies of box office bomb The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
 

Due to the legal controversy that has arisen between Julien’s Auctions and Michael Jackson/MJJ Productions, Auction Network is withdrawing as the online bidding service provider unless and until the controversy is resolved between the parties. We apologize for any inconvenience, but this controversy is not a matter that is within our control. Please check back periodically for updates.

For more on this developing story, click here.

Still smarting from the 2004 bomb Around the World in 80 Days, Jackie Chan didn’t exactly need a reason to go Kung-Fu Panda on someone. But following Christie’s auction of a pair of Qing dynasty bronze sculptures this week, he’s ready to remove croissants from his eating regimine.

At the heart of the issue are two sculptures … a rabbit and rat … that were stolen from Beijing’s Summer Palace during the second Opium War in 1860. After years of moving from “owner” to “owner” the pieces ended up selling for £28 million. Needless to say the Chinese government and its favorite export this side of porcelain aren’t turning the other cheek.

"This behavior is shameful," Chan said. "They remain looted items, no matter whom they were sold to. Whoever took it out (of China) is himself a thief. It was looting yesterday. It is still looting today."

The buyer’s identity was not released. The Chinese government warned it would use all necessary channels to recover all relics stolen.

Maybe this means a new plot twist for Rush Hour 4.
 

The death mask of Oliver Cromwell is up for auction.

He loathed vanity so much that he insisted his portraits depict him faithfully, 'warts and all'. And even after his death, Oliver Cromwell's instructions were followed to the letter.

This death mask shows the puritanical Lord Protector of England in all his grizzled, lumpy glory. There has been no attempt to conceal the growth on his lower lip or straighten his crooked nose.

All in all, the mask doesn't make an attractive artwork ... though that probably won't bother the person who buys it this week.

The plaster cast, made around 350 years ago, has been put up for sale at auction by a private collector. It has an estimated value of £1,000, even though experts can't be sure exactly when it was made.

Roy Butler, of Wallis and Wallis auctioneers in Lewes, East Sussex, who is selling the mask, said: 'It is clearly a very old cast.

'I think six were made after Cromwell's death and this is either one of those originals or a copy made shortly afterwards.'

To read the rest of this article, click here.
 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Auction Network can add another successful event to its growing portfolio. The Pickfair Estate Auction, conducted by Julien’s Auctions on Nov. 22-23, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton, raised nearly $585,000 during four sessions of live and online bidding.
 
Bidders from around the world had the opportunity to take home one of more than 700 pieces of fine art, furnishings and jewelry that graced the home dubbed Pickfair. Owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Pickfair was the social focal point for not only Hollywood celebrities in the 1920s, but for the world’s nobility and notable personalities. The renovated rustic lodge on 18 acres outside of Hollywood was referred to as the West Coast White House.

Auction Network, with hosts Tava Smiley and WorthPoint’s Christopher Kent (above), brought a significant number of online registered bidders to the Pickfair auction with 30 percent of the items being sold to those online bidders.
 
One of the most anticipated items, Mary Pickford’s personal autograph book (Lot 749), caught the eye of bidders across the board. The autograph book which includes 120 famous signatures such as Thomas Edison, Benito Mussolini, George Bernard Shaw, Amelia Earhart, U.S. President Eisenhower and Henry Ford sold for more $23,750. The pre-auction estimate was $6,000-$8,000.

Three pieces of rare artwork by Philip Mercier (Lot 411) and Paul de Longpre’ (Lots 412 and 413) sold for more than $65,000.

For a complete look at the entire auction catalog and what each piece sold for, click here.

Auction Network continues to deliver fast-paced, interactive programming that celebrates the sport and competitive spirit of auctions from around the world. Continue to check us out for truly exciting auctions coming in the near future!
 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2008) — In 1919, the world’s most famous actor, Douglas Fairbanks, purchased 18 acres outside of Hollywood in a little-known, undeveloped area called Beverly Hills.

The next year, he married the world’s most famous actress, Mark Pickford.

Working together, Doug and Mary renovated the rustic lodge on this large parcel of land and out of their effort and love, one of the most famous residences in the world, dubbed Pickfair, was born.

This incredible home for Hollywood royalty included amenities like no other. Pickfair featured a projection room to view the couple’s latest films, a western-themed bar to display Doug’s props and costumes, a room housing the couple’s collection of Asian art, accommodations for servants and a pool house for the first residential pool built in the Los Angeles area.

Pickfair was decorated by several designers throughout the years including Marjorie Requa, Harriet R. Shellenberger and Tony Durquette. The designers’ work and couple’s sensibilities created a hub of social life in Los Angeles. Royalty, presidents, artists, authors, inventors, actors and athletes all coveted an invitation to Pickfair to be entertained by the most famous couple in the world. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Pearl S. Buck and Charlie Chaplin were among the scores of honored guests.

After the dissolution of their 16-year marriage in 1936, “America’s Sweetheart” married “America’s Boyfriend” Charles “Buddy” Rogers in 1937. The couple was visited often by her stepson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Upon Mary’s death in 1979, after 42 years of marriage, Buddy built Pickfair Lodge on the property of Pickfair and moved many of the beautiful furnishings and memorabilia to his new home, thus preserving the memories for future generations.

The personality of Pickfair was shaped by those who lived there and the many famous guests who visited. While Pickfair no longer stands as it was, the memory of its majesty and the history of what it held lives on.

Pickfair Estate Auction: They were the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes of early 1900s Hollywood. Now you can own one of more than 700 pieces of fine art, furnishings and jewelry that graced the home, dubbed “Pickfair, owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.  

This amazing two-day auction, conducted by Julien’s Auctions, and broadcast live on Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) will be held at the Beverly Hilton, Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23, starting at 10am/8c both days.

Pickford was known as “America’s Sweetheart” during Hollywood’s Golden Age of silent films. Dinners there were legendary with guests including Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

Some of the storied and exotic items from Pickfair up for bid include rare artworks such as two oil-on-canvas still life paintings by Paul de Longpre and Philip Mercier.

If you can’t make it to Los Angeles for this event, you can get a front-row seat on the Auction Network. Be sure to register now for this event. It’s free, and easy to Watch, Bid, and Win on Auction Network!

To register for this auction, click here.

LOS ANGELES (Jill Serjeant/Reuters) — H.G. Wells wrote that Mary Pickford was "his life-long devotion," Thomas Edison dedicated his entry to "the sweetheart of the Americas," and Benito Mussolini simply signed his name and the date, May 10, 1926.

More than 120 famous names from 1926 to 1981 signed the silent film star's personal autograph book, which is among more than 750 lots from the Pickford estate going up for auction for the first time in November.

"These books contain the Who's Who of the 1920s and 1930s," auctioneer Darren Julien said of the autograph book and two leatherbound guest books signed by visitors to the Pickfair mansion in Beverly Hills shared by the Canadian-born Pickford and actor Douglas Fairbanks.

The autograph book, which also includes dedications from playwright George Bernard Shaw, aviator Amelia Earhart, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and automaker Henry Ford, carries a pre-sale estimate of between $6,000 and $8,000 U.S.

However, Mr. Julien said he thought the book could fetch five times that much at the Nov. 22-23 auction.

"These people came to Pickfair, and, when Mary travelled, she would take the book with her to get autographed. Those books are probably the most valuable and rare autograph books that I've ever seen come up for auction," he said.

He said that in 2006, a collection of 20 love letters written by Fairbanks to Pickford were sold for almost $30,000.

Dinnerware from parties thrown by the Hollywood couple for royalty and the leading minds of the times are also up for sale, along with paintings that graced the walls of Pickfair, furniture, photos and jewelry.

Mr. Julien said the auction contained the biggest collection to date from the Pickfair estate, where the screen star of Hollywood's Golden Age lived with Fairbanks and, later, her third husband, musician Buddy Rogers, for more than 50 years before her death in 1979.

The Pickfair estate, which has changed hands several times since Pickford's death and was rebuilt in the 1990s, was put up for sale in September with a $60 million asking price.

The items in the November auction come from the collection of Buddy Rogers, which was passed to his heirs. It is expected to raise a total of $400,000-$600,000.

Pickfair Estate Auction: They were the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes of early 1900s Hollywood. Now you can own one of more than 700 pieces of fine art, furnishings and jewelry that graced the home, dubbed “Pickfair, owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.  

This amazing two-day auction, conducted by Julien’s Auctions, and broadcast live on Auction Network (auctionnetwork.com) will be held at the Beverly Hilton, Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23, starting at 10am/8c both days.

Pickford was known as “America’s Sweetheart” during Hollywood’s Golden Age of silent films. Dinners there were legendary with guests including Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

Some of the storied and exotic items from Pickfair up for bid include rare artworks such as two oil-on-canvas still life paintings by Paul de Longpre’ and Philip Mercier.

If you can’t make it to Los Angeles for this event, you can get a front-row seat on the Auction Network. Be sure to register now for this event. It’s free, and easy to Watch, Bid, and Win on Auction Network!

To register for this auction, click here.