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Wednesday, 21 June 2006 03:52 |
| | Andy Borowitz |
In a frenzy of bidding that many in the auction industry called unprecedented, a gallon of gas fetched a record price today at the legendary auction house Sotheby??s.
Alistair Crutchfield, director of Sotheby??s rare gasoline and diesel fuel department, would not disclose how much the winning bidder, a Japanese collector, paid for the gallon of gas, saying only, ?®This is the sort of money people usually spend on a Picasso or a Matisse.?∆
A
spokesman for the winning bidder acknowledged that his client had paid
a record sum to acquire the gallon of gas, but added, ?®He wanted to
lock in a price before summer driving season got underway.?∆
When word spread
about a month ago that Sotheby??s was going to put a gallon of gas up
for auction, some wondered whether the offering would attract much
interest from collectors, but based on the massive crowd that showed up
at Sotheby??s New York headquarters today, interest in owning a gallon
of gas is now at a fever pitch.
?®Most wealthy people already own art and antiques,?∆ Mr. Crutchfield
said. ?®In today??s world, owning a gallon of gas might very well be the
ultimate status symbol.?∆
As pricey as the gallon of gas was, Mr. Crutchfield said he believed
that the winning bidder still got something of a bargain: ?®It would
have been even more expensive if it had been full-serve.?∆
Elsewhere, after a tearful appearance on the ?®Today?∆ show in which she
defended her mothering, an emotional Britney Spears was escorted to her
car and driven home by her baby.
?ÿ
Award-winning
humorist, television personality and film actor Andy Borowitz is author
of the new book ?®The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers.?∆
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