Photo: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
New York has put up for auction several gifts that the former mayors of the city received
while running the city as a chance to own a piece of City Hall history.
According to The New York Times, among the items up for auction is a glass paperweight given to the late Mayor David Dinkins by Diana Ross at a Friar’s Club event that kicked off Monday with a bid of $ 07.
The white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers signed by the rappers T and Fab Five Freddie’s that were delivered to Mayor Mike Bloomber during a dam conference began with an offer of $100.
Among the items to be sold are two dozen gifts received by former Mayor Ed Koch, who had a collection of framed pictures including one of the Statue of Liberty signed by Pete Max and Rudy Giuliani.
“This is a very small fraction of the gifts to past mayors and is only the first round of items that will eventually go up for auction. To clarify, not every gift given to a mayor is being sold,” said a spokesperson for the City’s Department of Administrative Services, which is in charge of the auction.
Collectors will be able to find items such as a Louis Vuitton that was given to Giuliana in 2022 on the occasion of the World Cup. There is also a pair of globe cufflinks from Tiffany and Co. given to the mayor that cost around $51.
Also on sale were some photos of Koch taken on the steps of City Hall
to commemorate his hosting debut at 1998 on Saturday Night Live, and a framed Village Voice cover with a story about Koch’s memoirs on the cover.
It should be remembered that these gifts accumulated because The New York City Charter prohibits officers from accepting and retaining “gifts of value”.