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For Immediate Release |
Contact: |
| March 05, 2009 |
Jennifer Crane, Asset Forfeiture Division (202)
246-8114 David Turner, Public Affairs, USMS Headquarters (202) 487-3047 Lone Star Auctioneers (817) 740-9400 www.lonestarauctioneers.com |
| U.S. Marshals Host Media Preview $3 Million Auction of Diamonds, Gold, Jewelry, Coins, Artwork and Furs | ||
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Arlington, Texas – Valued at $7,800, a gold
watch forfeited to the government after a Texas brother-sister cocaine bust
by the Drug Enforcement Administration will be displayed to reporters at the
Arlington Convention Center this Friday at a special press preview and
walk-through. The watch (see photo below) and hundreds of other costly items
valued at $3 million will be offered at auction on Saturday during the U.S.
Marshals largest jewelry sale of 2009.
“I believe the most expensive item at our sale will be a five-carat ladies platinum engagement ring,” said Jennifer Crane, from the U.S. Marshals’ Service Asset Forfeiture Division in Washington, D.C. “The ring is valued at $178,000. However, for the equally romantic -- if less well-heeled – suitor, we’ll be offering items like a $455 half-carat engagement ring,” she said. Crane will help conduct the media preview on Friday. Gold bullion, fur coats, multiple Rolex watches and several diamond bracelets help round out the 738 sales lots to be offered on Saturday. The criminal provenance behind some of these pieces is as interesting as their gold content, but to their future owners, it’s the romance and, perhaps, the intrinsic value of precious metal objects that draw buyers to Marshals Service auctions. “We hope to attract a large number of bidders,” says Crane, “and the Arlington auction clearly will be our biggest this year.”
NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters interested in the tour must meet at the Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballparkway, Arlington, Texas 76011 at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6. Media with camera equipment should be at the Center no later than 1:15 p.m. Contact one of the following: Ms. Crane (202) 246-8114; Cynthia Bridges (202) 487-5528; Lone Star Auctioneers (817) 740-9400. The media walk-through with Ms. Crane will be conducted during the open public preview. Special camera access to the above mentioned items and several more sales lots will be provided during the 30-minute tour. The last public auction conducted by the U.S. Marshals featured $1.3 million in jewelry in Phoenix, Ariz. last year. Auction day will be Saturday, March 7, 9:00 a.m. Sales will be continuous until all items have been offered. |
