Auction of Sacred Hopi Objects Permitted by French Court

A Paris court on Friday dismissed an attempt by advocacy group Survival International to block the auction of 25 sacred objects from Arizona's Hopi tribe that has caused outrage.

The sale of the "Kachina" ceremonial masks and headdresses will go ahead on Monday as planned, despite pleas from the Hopi's religious authorities to cancel the auction.

World's Most Expensive Book Sells for $14 Mn in New York Auction
At an auction in New York, the first book printed in what is today the United States sold for nearly $14.2 million, Sotheby's said, becoming the world's most expensive book.

The court battle against auction house EVE echoed another legal saga that erupted in April when French firm Neret-Minet ignored international appeals to halt the sale of some 70 masks that eventually fetched around 930,000 euros ($1.3 million).

That auction was decried by activists, including Hollywood legend Robert Redford, who described it as a "criminal gesture" and "sacrilege".

The sale involved dozens of striking, brightly coloured masks and headdresses that the 18,000-strong Hopi, a Native American tribe, say are blessed with divine spirits.

Rare Saudi Sabre Sells for $1 Mn at French Auction
In France, a rare sabre considered a historic testimony to the creation of modern-day Saudi Arabia sold for more than $1.2 million at an auction.

The Hopi insist that even the mere description of the objects as masks or artefacts is highly offensive.

But while the sale of sacred Indian artefacts has been outlawed in the United States since 1990 -- legislation which has allowed the tribe to recover items held by American museums in the past -- the law does not extend to sales overseas.

Rare Orange Diamond to be Auctioned in Geneva
A beautiful and extremely rare orange diamond to be auctioned in Geneva and auctioneers believe it could fetch at least $20 million.

Claire David, the judge presiding over the case Friday, said that "while the sale of these cultural objects can constitute an affront to the dignity of the Hopi tribe, this moral and philosophical consideration does not in itself give the judge the right to suspend the sale of these masks which is not forbidden in France".

Source-AFP

4.6 Million Pound Lamborghini Set to Be Auctioned
Set to be auctioned in 2014 for a mind-blowing 4.6 million-pound-price is a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 that is made up of carbon fibre and covered in a thin layer of pure gold.