Burt Reynolds Auction

Hundreds of personal items belonging to 78-year-old actor Burt Reynolds will be auctioned off at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas December 11 and 12. Even the Golden Globe he won for “Boogie Nights.” Reynolds won the trophy in the category of best supporting actor at the time. Over 600 items are on the block and open for online bidding. Reynolds is ready to part ways with the objects in light of money struggles.

Reynolds underwent back surgery in 2009 and had a quintuple heart bypass the following year. He has been under financial duress with his Florida home facing foreclosure.

A prop U.S. Marshal badge from the set of Gunsmoke (CBS, 1955-1975). Badges were given to select guest stars and visitors to the set. Burt Reynolds played Quint Asper from 1962-1965. Current bid $ 1250

A black felt sombrero from 100 Rifles (20th Century, 1969). The studio-distressed hat has a brown leather hat band and is accompanied by a black and white photograph of Reynolds wearing the hat on set with co-star Raquel Welch. Current bid $ 600

A gold tone and white and blue enamel star form badge marked "Sheriff Lanville County," housed in a frame with a brass plaque reading "Ed Earl Dodd's Badge 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.'" (Universal, 1982). Current Bid $ 1500

A Burt Reynolds Best Actor award trophy for his role as Paul Crewe in The Longest Yard (Paramount, 1974) presented to Reynolds by the Cartagena Film Festival in 1974. $400

32-40 caliber, 18.5" round barrel with full magazine, S/N JW 10482. Engraved with cowboy scenes. Blued screws plated frame, lever and bands. Enlarged lever. Checkered stock and forearm. John Wayne commemorative medallion inlaid in the stock. $ 2000

7.65 caliber, 4" barrel, S/N 92186. Engraved and silver plated. Initials incised, carved and black enameled BLR 22. George S. Patton's name is engraved in the slide. 1 of 500. $ 2500

A diecast toy model of the 1977 black T-top Trans Am driven by Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit (Universal,1977) with an action figure of Reynolds. $ 500

A black and white publicity photograph of John Wayne from the film True Grit (Paramount, 1969) inscribed to Burt Reynolds "Good Luck Burt John Wayne." $ 2000

A candid black and white photograph of Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed and Hal Needham on the set of Smokey and the Bandit II (Universal, 1980), signed by both of the actors and the director Needham in black ink. $ 700

Burt Reynolds' helmet worn in the film The Longest Yard (Paramount, 1974). It is a blue Rawlings brand vintage football helmet. Accompanied by a copy of the film. $ 2750

http://www.julienslive.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/146/

The St Albans Hoard

In October 2012, a novice treasure hunter who bought a basic metal detector returned to the shop in Hertfordshire weeks later, clutching part of Englands' finest ever hoard of Late Roman gold coins.

The man stunned staff by showing them 40 gold solidi, before asking: 'What do I do with this?' They contacted local experts and together got the permits they needed, headed back to the scene and pulled up another 119 pieces.

Roman wall in St Albans.

The man had bought a Garrett Ace 150, retailing at around £135 and described as "the ideal metal detector for parent-child expeditions or for adults interested in exploring a potential hobby". Local heritage officials described the hoard as 'nationally significant.' The coins are a rare example of the solidus, dating from the last days of Roman rule in Britain. The last consignments of them reached UK shores in 408 AD.

The hoard is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards discovered in the UK. The 159 coins date to the end of the 4th Century AD during the final years of Roman rule in Britain. They were mostly struck in the Italian cities of Milan and Ravenna and issued under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian, Theodosius, Arcadius and Honorius.

According to the St. Albans & Harpenden Review, Wesley Carrington took his newly bought metal detector out into a field near St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England, last October. After finding a spoon and then a half penny, Carrington's machine beeped a third time, and he dug seven inches down to uncover a coin that was gold in color with a Roman figure on it.

The coin was an ancient Roman solidus, and there were 158 more buried with it, a hoard with an estimated worth of at least 100,000 pounds sterling, or $156,000, according to The Daily Mail. "I’ve been in the job for ten years and it is certainly the most spectacular find," Julian Watters, the finds liaison officer for Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, told The Daily Mail. "Just to put it in context, I had only previously seen four Roman gold coins out of 50,000 finds" explained Watters, who helped excavate the remaining coins.

Carrington told the St. Albans & Harpenden Review that he did nothing to prepare for his treasure hunt besides watching a few YouTube videos about using a metal detector, and that he chose his location by driving to "the closest area of woodland to where I live."

A large sapphire ring found by metal detector enthusiast Michael Greenhorn in a field near Escrick, England is thought to have originated in the 5th or 6th century and may have even belonged to a king. Greenhorn sold the ring to the Yorkshire Museum for $50,000.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218640/Novice-treasure-hunter-bought-basic-metal-detector-40-Roman-coins-worth-100-000.html#ixzz2LBxR22B8

Most expensive antique weapons at auction

General Ulysses S Grant's Civil War presentation sword - $1.6m. The sword was presented to future president General Ulysses S Grant by the citizens of Kentucky in 1864, upon his promotion to "General in Chief of the Armies of the United States".

Pair of Nicolas-Noel Boutet pistols owned by Simon Bolivar - $1.8m

George Washington's pistols. The pistols are also linked to the Marquis de Lafayette and later, seventh US president Andrew Jackson. They sold for $2m at a Christie's auction in New York in 2002.

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's gold dagger. Bonhams in London sold the gold dagger which was owned by Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for £1.7m ($3.3m) in April 2008. The dagger dates to 1629-30.

18th century Chinese jade-hilted sword. A ceremonial steel-bladed sword, produced during the reign of the Qianlong emperor from 1736 to 1795, sold for $5.9m at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2006. The Baoteng Saber was one of 90 such swords produced during the emperor's reign, but the first to ever appear at auction.

The most expensive antique weapon to appear at auction is a gold encrusted sword used by Napoleon Bonaparte. It is thought the sword was used by Napoleon in battle at Marengo in June 1800, before he became emperor. The sword brought €4.8m ($6.5m) at an Osenat auction in Fontainebleau, France in 2007.

Super Luxury Cars - Uber Cars

The "super luxury" segment (cars costing more than $100,000) is one of only two to show market growth over the last five years.

The Ghost. Rolls-Royce sets the standard by which all other luxury carmakers are judged. Its vehicles are opulent and pricey, which makes them the ideal ride of the rich and famous. A Phantom starts around $ 380,000.

Only the folks at Bentley would consider a $200,000 car as an “entry-level” sedan, but that’s the land of the super rich. Based on the Continental, the Flying Spur offers a 500-hp twin-turbo V-8 for the merely rich and a 616-hp twin-turbo W-12 for the truly wealthy. Both feature an eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive.

Mercedes-Benz brought back the Maybach name and put it on a set of ultra-luxury sedans. The 57 and 62 (based on vehicle length: 5.7 meters and 6.2 meters, respectively). The 57 is considered a driver's car, while the 62 would likely be chauffeur-driven, referred to by the automaker as a "business jet on wheels." Featuring power-closing rear doors, a 600-watt audio system and reclining rear seats with power footrests, the Maybach 62 goes for around $375,000.

Aston Martin DB9. The two-plus-two sports car is offered in both Coupe and Volante (convertible)The hand-built DB9's 450-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine is available with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. $ 260,000

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, CL-Class coupe and SL-Class roadsters all sport supercharged V8 engines producing an impressive 493 horsepower. $ 200,000

BMW recently joined this elite group with its 760 luxury sedan. The top-end of the 7-series lineup offers an expansive rear seating area, impressive handling and excellent performance from its 438-horsepower V12 engine. $ 140,000