Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) -- A Japanese man forced two leading U.S. auction houses to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" for the right to sell an art collection worth more than $20 million. Takashi Hashiyama, president of Maspro Denkoh Corp. near Nagoya, Japan, couldn't decide whether Christie's or Sotheby's should handle the sale, so he told them to choose -- and to use a method he sometimes employs for tough decisions. Advertisement He told them to use the playground game "Rock, Paper, Scissors." At stake was millions in auction fees. The auction houses had until last Monday to choose and took different tacks in coming up with a choice, The New York Times reported. Christie's went to experts -- 11-year-old twin daughters of an employee -- who suggested "scissors" because "Everybody expects you to choose 'rock,'" the Times said. Sotheby's told the newspaper it didn't have a strategy but went with "paper." Christie's plans to auction the collection next week. The highlight of the session is thought to be Cezanne's "Large Trees Under the Jas de Bouffan," which could bring about $12 million -- with some $1.4 of that going to the auction house. Advertisement
