About a week ago I posted about a Belstaff jacket that was being sold as part of an auction of the effects of Steve McQueen. Well, the auction results are in and they are astounding.

A pair of Persol sunglasses that were believed to have been worn by McQueen during the opening scenes of the Thomas Crown Affair sold for $60,000 (the estimate was $2-3,000).

The Belstaff jacket that I mentioned in my other post went for $28,000 and a denim baseball cap with a patch which read "Farming is everybody's bread & butter" sold for $2,500.

The problem with these "celebrity" auctions is that all common-sense goes out of the window. Items that were once owned by the famous and infamous can be found at antique dealers', from specialized dealers, even from eBay (though judgement and caution should be applied). Yet give someone a numbered paddle and add them to a throng of people similarly armed and caution is thrown to the winds. Admittedly you are buying something with a good provenance but, even so, will you ever be able to re-coup your investment?

Perhaps the clothing was bought to be worn. In that case, if they had the money, I say good for them..."real" clothes, bought to be worn...it seems like something Steve may have approved of.