Williams & Williams, the premier brand in real estate auction, on behalf of the City of Pontiac, Mich., announced Monday that the auction for the Pontiac Silverdome was won by a family-owned real estate company based in Toronto, Canada with a high bid of $583,000. The winning bidder plans to refurbish the stadium and utilize it for men’s Major League Soccer and women’s professional soccer teams. The successful bidder’s name is not being released until final details are worked out and the sale closes.

Fred Leeb, the emergency financial manager for the City of Pontiac stated a number of reasons why he deemed the auction a success.

* We recognized the problem and made the tough decision to base the sale on reality rather than dreams of higher sale prices and procrastination.

* The Silverdome will now be in the hands of professionals who can devote their time to transform this high-profile property into a vital asset instead of enabling it to continue to languish as an empty facility. Any improvements will be for the benefit of Pontiac because the property, of course, will stay in Pontiac, the property isn’t moving anywhere.

* The ongoing maintenance cost of $1.5 million a year will be eliminated and the property will go back on the tax rolls.

* The City staff will go back to working on our extremely successful union negotiations, cost reduction efforts, revenue improvements and other positive aspects of our turnaround that is already underway.

* Pontiac will become more prominent as a great place for new business due to its favorable business climate and the host of tax incentive programs that are available in very few cities in the entire country.” 

“This future-focused investment is good news for the City of Pontiac and is an exciting step forward for the community, city and state,” Leeb said. “It was our goal to sell the Silverdome by the end of the year and relieve the city of its annual financial burden of $1.5 million to maintain the Dome. Williams & Williams did an amazing job marketing and attracting global buyer interest in this property.  We couldn’t have asked for a better partner in this effort.

"Williams & Williams designed and executed a worldwide, multi-media advertising and publicity campaign that attracted interest from 84 countries and generated over 150 inquiries from potential buyers. We knew that it was going to be very tough so we reached out globally to find a creative buyer group that probably would have to look beyond the typical entertainment venue, apartment complex, or shopping center concepts."

“We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to find a new steward for the Silverdome on behalf of the City of Pontiac and the State of Michigan," said Dean Williams, chairman and CEO of Williams & Williams. "There was interest from around the world in this property and, of all of the possible outcomes and uses, we are pleased the Dome will build on its past and be revitalized as a major sports venue. ”

Williams & Williams, the premier brand in real estate auctions, is selling the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., and 127^+/- surrounding acres, through an Absolute, No Reserve Auction in partnership with CB Richard Ellis on behalf of the City of Pontiac.

Willimas & Williams is accepting sealed bids for the Silverdome Auction through Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4p EST. At that time, the City of Pontiac, in its sole discretion, may declare the high bidder the winner and end the auction or the city may elect to invite no more than the top five high bidders to a live “best and final” outcry auction held in Pontiac on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 at 1p EST at the Marriott Hotel.

Considered an excellent high-profile redevelopment opportunity, the Pontiac Silverdome, an 80,300-seat stadium, is prominently situated on 127^+/- acres accessible by I-75 and M-59. The “gateway site” will lend interested buyers an array of development options.

“We are excited about the Pontiac Silverdome Auction and finding a new owner to become a key member of our community,” said City of Pontiac Emergency Financial Manager Fred Leeb. “The decision to sell via absolute auction illustrates our commitment to sell the stadium and convert an expense into a vibrant future development.”

Interested bidders should contact Dan Falls of Williams & Williams at 918.362.6558 or go to www.williamsauction.com/silverdome for bid package.

Aaron Taylor never thought it would come to this.

Taylor, a former All-America offensive lineman at Nebraska, is being forced to auction off his 1997 Outland Trophy and seven national and conference championship rings because of bankruptcy.

“It’s all kind of surreal,” Taylor said. “I never thought I’d be in this situation.”

Taylor and other investors filed for bankruptcy when their Omaha restaurant, Scarlet and Cream Letter Club, failed in 2007. The Outland and rings were on display there and they're included in Taylor's assets under Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws.

Taylor thought he could buy the trophy and rings back but he couldn’t agree on a price.

Taylor helped the Cornhuskers to national championships in 1994, 1995 and 1997. He became an All-America at guard and center and is one of seven Cornhuskers to win the Outland, awarded to the nation's top interior lineman.

A hunting license once issued to former Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams was reported missing last week from a New Hampshire auction house, just days before the Hall of Fame ballplayer's personal effects were to be sold.

John Pappas, auctioneer at the Knotty Pine Auction Service in West Swanzey, N.H., said the one-of-a-kind license, issued to Williams by the state of New Hampshire in 1970, disappeared around 5 p.m. Thursday during a preview of the auction, which was held Saturday morning. The value of the license, which was bundled with Williams's fishing hat and an aluminum pinback, had an estimated worth of $300 to $500, but could have fetched upward of $1,000, Pappas said.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman received most of the Beatles-type attention as the NBA’s Chicago Bulls breezed to the franchise’s second set of three-peats in 1996, 97 and 98. But it was guards like Randy Brown who played the role of Ringo perfectly assisting the big three.

Now it’s Brown who needs an assist.

As part of a bankruptcy filing, a judge has ordered the auction of Brown’s three championship rings he won with the Bulls. Being offered online through West Auctions on May 19, the starting bid is $19,000 for all three.

Daniel West, a partner in the Woodland Calif.-based auction house, took the rings to a California jewelry appraiser who told him the value of the set was more than $40,000. The 12.5-sized ring from the 1998 championship alone was valued at more than $20,000.

"From a collector's standpoint, [the final bid] could easily triple that -- I hope," said West.

Bidding will be anonymous, but because this is a public sale conducted on behalf of the bankruptcy court, the name of the final bidder will be part of public record. 
 

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?


 

Those Chinese sure do move to the beat of their own human rights record … I mean drums. Monday, 90 of the 2,008 drums used at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games were auctioned for $1.88 million over 26 hours of online bidding. The drums, also known as “fou,” are made from clay or bronze. Another 410 drums and 1,000 “zhujian” bamboo scrolls will be available at jinmajia.com this Wednesday.

The drums were a focal point during the opening ceremony.

Since the Olympics wrapped, more than 500,000 items from the games have already been sold for almost 30 million yuan including a bed used by Chinese and Houston Rockets basketballer Yao Ming. Bongs possibly left behind by American swimmers will not be available. 
 

Former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson used to say that everyone has a plan until you hit them in the nose. Mastro Auctions chairman Bill Mastro just got smacked.

Less than two months ago the brain behind the largest sports memorabilia auction house boasted to the Chicago Daily Herald that his business was recession proof because he catered to high-end clients.

"When we do our big auctions we're typically dealing with well-heeled guys, and this is what gives them pleasure," Mastro told the paper. "If anything, I think guys are getting more choosy and discriminating about what they buy and how they buy it. But at the end of the day a Mercedes is a Mercedes, and if you want and have the means, you'll pay for it."

Now the company is out of business, the FBI has launched an investigation into shill bidding, card doctoring and other allegations of fraud and Mastro is taking “some time off.” Three former Mastro honchos purchased the former company’s assets and are rebranding as Legendary Auctions with a promise that there will be no more mixing of business and pleasure.

And they don’t call this the land of opportunity for nothing.
 

Are you’re sitting down? Might want to put down the hot coffee in your hand because your world is about to get turned upside down. Very few things in professional wrestling are real. From the staged bouts and soap opera partnerships to the spray-on tans and non-doctor prescribed muscles, most of it has the believability of Chicken Little.

But that doesn’t matter to the millions who religiously watch the matches between Triple H, Edge, John Cena and plunk down $526.5 million annually to organizations like World Wrestling Entertainment.

So should it come as any shock that with the country’s jobless rate in double digit percentages that a wrestling fan would spend $770 for a corset? Well maybe, unless you consider it was once worn by former professional wrestler and valet Stacy Keibler.

Keibler, who regularly shows up on sexiest this and sexist that sports lists, is a former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader who along with her 42-inch long legs beat out 300 other hopefuls for a Nitro Girl spot while 4.4 million tuned in. After years of body slams and making men sweat (in and out of the ring), Keibler went mainstream when she finished third in the second season of Dancing with the Stars.

Last year, posting on eBay as stacykeiblerscloset, Keibler started selling personal items including a black beaded sarong ($265), polka dot bikini worn by Keibler on the jacket cover of the DVD Viva Las Divas ($600), two-piece school girl outfit from the 2004 WWE Shopzone magazine cover ($816.16) and a Babe of the Year Valentine outfit ($900). Wonder if those sniffers … I mean fans ... read the fine print that states, “All used clothes will be cleaned prior to shipping.”

Act quickly and you too can take home a pair of clear wedge high heels, a ring robe, autographed Sprint Lotus phone or a lime green top worn on television and in magazines (right).
 

• Imprisoned NFL star Michael Vick's (above) suburban Atlanta home will be offered for sale to the highest bidder on March 10. The judge presiding over Vick's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case issued an order scheduling the auction Tuesday. The order sets an opening bid of $3.2 million for the eight-bedroom home in a gated community in Duluth, Ga.

• The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. auction Tuesday took a pummeling as prices for racehorses continued to drop, looking more like the floundering stock market than a high-end thoroughbred sale. During the same sale one year ago, eight horses sold for $400,000 or more each. During this year's sale, none reached that level.

• The gloves worn by Pittsburgh Steelers Santonio Holmes when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII were sold for $70,200 in a charity auction. Holmes was named the game's most valuable player after the Steelers captured an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title by defeating Arizona thanks to Holmes' catch.

• Props used by 1950s television comedian Ernie Kovacs, including a pair of eyeglasses with images of eyes on the lenses, are being sold this weekend by a Dallas collectibles auctioneer. Kovacs wore the glasses when he was in character as drunken poet Percy Dovetonsils.

• The tumbledown farmhouse in Cumbria, England where Withnail and his hapless sidekick went on holiday in the cult movie Withnail and I has been sold for £265,000. A Cumbrian publican fought off seven rivals at auction to buy the house known as "Uncle Monty's cottage" in the 1987 film starring Richard E. Grant.