Madoff possessions fetch $1M at auction

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Bernard Madoff's name gave extra value to his onetime possessions Saturday as they were auctioned for more than $1 million in New York.

The auction conducted under the eye of U.S. marshals at the New York Sheraton Hotel and Towers brought in twice the expected amount, The Wall Street Journal reported. The 200 lots of possession once owned by Madoff and his wife, Ruth, included Rolex watches and diamond jewelry along with clothing and old yard signs.

Some of the Rolexes failed to sell. But an online bidder offered $14,500 for Bernard Madoff's personalized Mets jacket, almost 30 times its low estimate, and his class ring from Hofstra University, with a low estimate of $240, went for $6,000.

Manhattan jeweler Kimmeron Lisle looked at a pair of Ruth Madoff's Chanel boots.

"I'm going to walk one day in her shoes and then judge her," Lisle said.

The money will go to help reimburse victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme. But even the larger-than-expected take is a drop in the bucket compared with the billions his investors lost.

Madoff is serving a 150-year prison term.

More auctions are coming up. Three boats and a Mercedes go on the block Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.