A painting by pop artist Andy Warhol, "200 One Dollar Bills," brought $43.8 million at auction, more than three times its highest presale estimate of $12 million.

The piece, one of Warhol's first silk-screen paintings, sold at Sotheby's on Nov. 11, 2009. The auction house did not reveal the names of the buyer and seller.

Bidding for the seminal work was spirited and fast. Auctioneer Tobias Meyer opened bidding at $6 million, which was immediately doubled. Five more people in the room jumped in, competing until a phone bidder was declared the winner.

The current record for a Warhol is $71.7 million for "Green Car Crash, sold at Christie's in 2007.

Executed in 1962, the painting was once owned by taxi tycoon Robert C. Scull, who purchased it directly from Warhol's dealer. The current owner bought it in 1986 for $385,000.

It was the highest price fetched at the Contemporary Art sale, which totaled $134.4 million, well above the high presale total of $97.7 million.

Other Warhol paintings also drew strong prices.

His 1965 "Self-Portrait," which the artist gave to Cathy Naso, a receptionist who worked at his Factory, sold for $6.1 million. It had been estimated to sell for $1 million to $1.5 million. Naso, who attended the auction, was 19 years old when Warhol gave her the painting inscribed to her. She displayed it briefly and then stored it in a closet, where it remained until this year.

"I think I am dreaming," Naso said. "Andy has made me famous for 15 minutes and I've come to realize that 15 minutes of fame is more than enough."

A New York art gallery has temporarily removed an Andy Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson from the auction block. The Vered Gallery in East Hampton says enormous interest prompted the decision. The auction was to close Sunday.

The 30-by-26-inch painting shows a smiling Jackson in a red jacket from his Thriller days. Pre-sale estimates ranged anywhere from $1 million to $10 million.

There's renewed interest in all things Jackson since his death. His albums are back at the top of the charts.

Gallery co-owner Janet Lehr says in a statement she wants to offer the 1984 work to "the greatest number of prospective purchasers." She did not immediately return inquiries for comment Monday. The portrait is reportedly owned by a New York collector.
 

From coffee mugs to caskets, the men of Kiss have never been above selling out. But Gene Simmons has upped his game by auctioning off his kidney stone on eBay for a righteous $15,000. "I passed a kidney stone and I put it on eBay for charity," the Kiss bassist told the Today Show. "I got $15 grand."

Host Kathie Lee Gifford then asked Simmons how much he might get for other parts of his body. To which Simmons -- who was plugging his A&E series Gene Simmons Family Jewels -- jokingly snapped, "Settle down."
 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's glove is not going once, going twice - or going anywhere.

A scheduled auction of the pop singer's possessions was called off Tuesday after Jackson and Julien's Auction House reached a settlement to their dispute over whether 2,000 items from Neverland Ranch were ever intended for sale.

Specific terms were not disclosed. But in short, Jackson keeps his things, while Julien's keeps its exhibition, which was open to the public and originally meant to promote next week's sale.

"There was so much interest from so many of Jackson's fans that instead of putting the items in the hands of private collectors, Dr. Tohme and Julien's Auction House have made arrangements that will allow the collection to be shared with and enjoyed by Jackson's fans for many years to come," read a joint statement from Jackson spokesman Dr. Tohme R. Tohme and auction organizer Darren Julien.

Jackson's production company, MJJ Productions, sued Julien in early March, seeking to halt the sale by arguing that Jackson hadn't authorized it. Julien maintained that the auction house was contracted by Jackson's production company to take all of the items from Neverland with the intention of selling them all beginning April 22.

A judge blocked one effort by MJJ Productions to cancel it earlier this month, and another was scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday for an injunction.

"I believe both sides are pleased with the resolution," Julien said Tuesday by telephone.

Julien has said he spent $2 million organizing the sale, which another auctioneer estimated could have fetched $12 million. The exhibition in Beverly Hills costs $20 to attend, and auction catalogues - a $50 single volume and $200, five-volume boxed set - were still selling, Julien said.

The statement also said MJJ Productions and Julien's Auction House would be making a "substantial" donation to MusiCares to benefit artists in need.
 

Wax statues are a lot like a Barry Manilow concert.

There’s the cool aspect ... like seeing one of the all-time great singer-songwriters crooning through hits like “I Write the Songs,” “Mandy” and “Weekend in New England” with an energy that belies his 65 years and one or two cosmetic procedures. At the same time, there’s something also very icky about watching soccer moms catfight ladies in moo-moos while “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling.”  

And while Manilow fans will have to remain content waiting to see him on Oprah or at the Las Vegas Hilton, wax fans have the chance to take a little weirdness home with them.

The Hollywood Wax Museum is letting go of nearly 200 representations including Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, Marilyn Monroe, cast of M.A.S.H., Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice and Batman, President Bill Clinton and even St. Louis Cardinals slugger/juicer Mark McGwire. The first auction in the museum’s 44-year history is set for May 1, 2009. A portion of the profits will support efforts to preserve Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

And while some of the statues are showing their age, what guy is going to let a little chipping on Catwoman’s gloves keep him from wanting to take a body suit wearing Michelle Pfeiffer home?


 

As the Dead prepare for their first tour since 2004, they're determined that an auction of prime seats will raise money for charities as well as put those tickets in the hands of fans, not scalpers.

"We want to keep away from all of that," percussionist Mickey Hart told Billboard.com. "You always keep your fingers crossed that the bad guys don't get in there and turn profits for themselves." Tickets have been turning up on secondary sale sites such as Tickets Now and StubHub, but the Dead has decided not to offer Platinum Tickets through Ticketmaster.

Guitarist Bob Weir (above) said he has long felt that any type of scalping "should be illegal. Nobody benefits but a few people. The band doesn't get any of that money. The people have to pay more money for what they should rightfully be getting for way less. It's immensely frustrating."

Under the auction plan, which is being operated through Charity Folks (charityfolks.com), the Dead is auctioning off the first five rows center for its shows to high bidders. Memorabilia and meet-and-greet opportunities are also up for grabs. The group hopes the auctions will raise $250,000 for the Rex Foundation, an arts charity the group established in 1983, as well as for the Further Foundation, the Unbroken Chain Foundation and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

It's a good thing Michael Jackson didn't go with the "over my dead body" ultimatum.

Despite the comebacking King of Pop's legal objections, a Beverly Hills auction house is going ahead with a planned sell-off of nearly 2,000 pieces of furniture, clothing and other Jackson memorabilia that the company was asked to cart off from Neverland Ranch last year.

Some of the items on the block, such as a few of the Thriller artist's jewel-encrusted gloves (including the glove), a black fedora and a couple of MTV Video Music Awards, will be on display starting Wednesday at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC's Times Square.

"It will be the last time you can see these items publicly unless they're purchased by a major museum," Julien's Auctions proprietor Darren Julien told the New York Daily News.

But while Julien is championing the goodies for sale, he is still required to go through the motions in court.

To read more, click here.
 

Elvis fans are "All Shook Up" over a new collection of memorabilia on sale at a New York City auction house. The trademark powder blue-and-gold jumpsuit and matching cape Elvis Presley wore at his 1972 concert at Madison Square Garden is up for sale in a weeklong online auction.

After the concert, Presley gave the jumpsuit to legendary songwriter Joyce (Dottie) Rambo, who wrote many tunes for the King, for her birthday. She put it away and it wasn't seen again until her daughter discovered it after the 74-year-old Rambo was killed in a tour bus accident last year.

"Nobody knew where it was," said Pete Siegel, who is auctioning off hundreds of pieces of Elvis memorabilia for sale online at gottahaverockandroll.com.

The jumpsuit is expected to fetch more than $150,000.
 

With alternative metal band System of a Down on “permanent hiatus,” drummer John Dolmayan (above) has found another way to make headlines and search engines buzz. And it only cost $317,200.

An owner of a comic collection that by his account totals around 20 million, Dolmayan was identified this week as the person who bought the Holy Grail of comic books … albeit on behalf of client. Only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are known to exist. The comic, featuring Superman lifting a car, was purchased in the early 1950s for a mere 35 cents.

According to Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the auction site ComicConnect.com, it is one of the highest prices ever paid for a comic book. “Maybe in a booming economy, it would have done a hundred grand more, but in this economy, I think the price is great,” Fishler told the Los Angeles Times.
 

Elton John will auction off 20 of his private stash of luxury and sports cars at Christie's on June 5 according to Hollywood.com.

The cars include John's Rolls Royce Silver Cloud named "Daisy" and an Aston Martin called "The Beast." Passengers of the cars, other than the ostentatious singer, include Sting, Hugh Grant, Gianni Versace and George Michael. Christie's estimates the cars will bring in approximately $1.4 million.

"Celebrity auctions are very popular," said Christie's spokesperson Patricia Clark, "especially Elton John, who's incredibly popular here in England. There is generally more interest in celebrity auctions. People love the idea of owning a bit of a star, a piece of history. It makes their lives a little more interesting."

John recently lost a court battle with his former manager and accountant. Christie's, however, insisted that The Rocket Man is selling his cars because he doesn't get a chance to enjoy them anymore because of his travel and other time commitments.

John also put his vast record collection on the market last year through Christie's.