Watergate Hotel on Auction Block

(NEWSER) - An auction today of the storied Watergate Hotel drew more than 150 spectators, media attention from around the world, and not a single bidder willing to pony up the necessary $25 million, reports the Washington Post. The German bank that foreclosed on the property took back the 12-story hotel and will now try to shop it around to private buyers. In addition to helping bring down a president, it offers nice views of the Potomac. More»

Presley's body spent 2 months in Memphis crypt

(NEWSER) - Elvis has left the crypt—and now there's room for a fan. A crypt in a private Memphis mausoleum where Elvis Presley was briefly entombed after his death in 1977 will be auctioned off next month, reports E! Online . The bodies of Elvis and his mother, Gladys, spent about two months in the crypt while the singer's father sought permission from authorities in Tennessee to bury them at Presley's Graceland home. More»

It will be donated to his foundation instead

(NEWSER) - The creepy auction of Ronald Reagan's blood has been canceled. Instead, the seller will donate the vial to Reagan's presidential foundation in California, reports the Wall Street Journal . Europe's PFC Auctions announced the move today after Reagan's family called the auction unseemly. Bidding had reached $30,000 and was scheduled to end tonight. More»

American photographer Ahae shells out $660k for abandoned Courbefy

(NEWSER) - It's been years since anyone lived in the kinda-picturesque French village of Courbefy, but if you're a photographer, kinda-picturesque counts for a lot. Indeed, for American artist Ahae, it was worth around $663,000, the price the South Korean-born photographer agreed to pay for the place at an auction yesterday. The village consists of 21 buildings, including the ruins of a 13th-century castle, a chapel, an empty swimming pool, an overgrown tennis court, and more, according to the Guardian . More»

A vial supposedly taken from president post-1981 shooting on the block

(NEWSER) - It may sound creepy to you, but to the head of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, it's "craven": A UK-based auctioneer has put a vial purported to hold Reagan's blood up on the block. PFC Auctions says a lab technician spirited the blood out of the hospital where Reagan was treated following the failed 1981 assassination attempt against him, reports the BBC . "If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," announced the director, who has received assurances from the hospital in question that it will look into "how something like this could possibly happen." More»