Although the sign near the large gates explicitly stated that it would begin at 9 a.m., collectors hoping to get a head start on the estate sale were already lining up at 7:30.
The home of tech billionaire Ignatius Selbaz – well, one of his many homes – was up for grabs, as were all of its contents. Although most of the furniture and other items would likely be far beyond the price range of casual shoppers, there were plenty of curiosity seekers mixed in among the wealthy. While the affluent would walk away with the big ticket objects, surely there were a few bargains to be found.
This particular sale was taking place in Atherton, California, but there were others scheduled across the globe. A week earlier, the mercurial Selbaz had released a statement that he was “shedding his excess” and there would be more information to come.
As the gates of the Atherton property began to open – nearly 90 minutes ahead of schedule – the hundreds of people gathered trotted toward the front door. Once there, they were greeted by a well-dressed young man with a big smile.
“Hello, everyone! My name’s Will and I’d like to welcome you all to the Ignatius Selbaz Estate Sale, conducted by Hood and Associates International. As you can probably tell by the sign out front, we aren’t supposed to begin the event until 9 a.m., but you all seem so enthusiastic I figured, ‘What the heck?’ So please, come in, browse around, and if you have any questions about pricing, I’ll be glad to answer them.”
A gold-leafed luxury piano was the centerpiece of the entryway, and its price tag was $3.6 million.
“Oh, my word,” marveled one shopper, “this is absolutely exquisite. Knowing Ignatius’ taste – I met him several years ago at a gala – I’m surprised he’s parting with it. I’m Mr. Willem Danforth, by the way … you probably already knew that.”
“Of course, Mr. Danforth. Mr. Selbaz feels that now is the time for him to lighten his load and he doesn’t even know how to play the piano,” Will said with a chuckle. “Are you interested in buying, sir?”
“I’m interested, but frankly, $3.6 million is a bit too unreasonable for that piece. After all, I already have a Bösendorfer and Schimmel.”
Will took out his phone.
“Let me make a quick call, Mr. Danforth … please bear with me.”
He turned away, talking rapidly (though in a whisper), then turned back to the potential customer.
“I just spoke to Mr. Selbaz and he said for you – and you only – the price is $2 million.”
“Sold!” Danforth exclaimed, the exuberance in his voice causing other buyers to look in his direction. “This will be a perfect piece for my trophy room!”
As the day wore on, Will became quite popular among those gathered. While none of them would be caught dead using the word “discount,” the fact that he was willing to negotiate on pricing proved that even the very rich are on the lookout for a bargain.
Throughout the remainder of the sale paintings that were listed at $500,000 were slashed to $250,000, and everything from gold to jewelry was marked down.
By 6 p.m. the house was completely cleared, and Hood and Associates International had secured a grand total of $51.3 million (including the $38 million price tag of the house itself).
Will stepped outside and loosened his tie. He made another call, and there was no need to whisper this time.
“Hey, it’s me. Oh yeah … we did really, really well. That money is gonna feed, clothe and house a whole lotta people. Have you heard from Marian, John and Tuck yet? Oh, I have no doubt they crushed it. I guess once we get the final tally we can go ahead and put Selbaz and the others on the island with the rest of the people we robbed.
“Anyway, there’s this Danforth guy we should probably put on the list … I’ll send you his info and we can discuss it once I get to Nottingham. Talk to you soon, Robin.”
