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.
 

Some things take time to travel across the ocean from America. Films, fashion trends, the logic behind using grease instead of lard for cooking fries and our disdain for Lindsey Lohan (and she’s still famous … why?) seem to hit our friends in Central and Eastern Europe just a tad after we’ve moved on.

But even those with dial-up modems and more than two days of donkey rides from civilization must have read or heard somewhere in the last 10 years or so that selling human organs … either your own or the ones you remove from some sap after leaving him chilling in a tub filled with ice … is a little on the illegal side.

And still people like Rumun_79 give it a try.

Warsaw police are looking for a Polish man (come on … don’t go there) who tried auctioning off one of his kidneys for a little under $12,000. And because Mr. Rumun is suffering financial difficulties, he was also willing to part with a little bone marrow for another $12,000. His brain, which is obviously not working, wasn’t offered to sweeten the deal.

If caught, he could face a fine and up to three years in prison. And just in case he’s reading this and HBO’s Oz hasn’t made it to a local Hollywood Video near him, prison may offer an entirely new set of difficulties.

 

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. 
 

Good and evil. Right and wrong. The definitions vary according to whom you ask.

So what about a website that profits from the sale of artwork, clothing, collectibles and even greeting cards from murders? That’s exactly what goes on at murderauction.com. Where else are you going to be able to bid on a 1988 Christmas card sent by Ted Bundy or original artwork created by Robert Bardo who is serving life in prison for murdering My Sister Sam actress Rebecca Schaeffer?

A framed picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and a business card from his lawyer Stephen Jones are also currently being offered. The April 19, 1995 terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building claimed 168 lives and left over 800 people injured. The auction has met with resentment from some.

"I think it is horrible. I don't think anyone needs to make a profit off this. Too many people lost their lives. I think it's terrible," said Karen Nelson, who was visiting the bombing memorial, to Tulsa’s NewsOn6.

So what do you think? Should items like these be offered for sale? Should people and companies be able to profit from those who have taken other’s lives? Let us know.


 

Jason Hart, 33, from Farnworth, Greater Manchester (England) really dropped the ball trying to fake his death. Now he’s focused on not dropping the soap.

Hart, who bilked eBay customers out of nearly $50,000 between September 2006 and April 2007 plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and perjury. He was also convicted of perjury after telling the court his mother had died. See ya in 18 to 24 months.

Having collected the cash for items like Xbox consoles, mobile phones, watches and sports tickets, Hart decided it would be easier to stop the calls from angry customers by having “his father” call a local newspaper and report Hart had died in a house fire.
 

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.
 

A kiss from Eva Longoria-Parker will cost you! The Desperate Housewives star co-hosted a Lingerie Miami charity auction this weekend, and among the items up for bidding was one beso (get it?) from the hostess herself. Eva's hubby, Tony Parker, was thankfully not in attendance, but if he'd missed a basketball game to do so, we're sure he would've been thrilled to see his wife sell kisses for cash!

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GOT A SCOOP?
Drop me a line at chris.greer@auctionnetwork.com

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.
 

Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein
Los Angeles Times

An estimated $2 million worth of jewelry and other belongings was stolen from the home of Paris Hilton, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The robbery occurred at 5 a.m. at Hilton's Hollywood Hills home on Clarendon Street. The burglar or burglars got into the house through an unlocked door, according to LAPD sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. More...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from Star Wars, Indiana Jones' hat and whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Batman's cowl from Batman Begins are going on the auction block.

The iconic movie items are for sale as part of Profiles in History's Hollywood auction, to be held Dec. 11 at the company's headquarters in Calabasas, Calif.

The lightsaber is expected to sell for at least $150,000. Other items featured in the auction include C3PO's helmet, a complete set of Harry Potter books signed by J.K. Rowling, a three-volume collection of The Lord of the Rings signed by J.R.R. Tolkien and Arnold Schwarzenegger's costume from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.