Hundreds of pieces of Madoff paraphernalia will be auctioned off this weekend for the benefit of Bernie's Ponzi victims.  The United States Marshals Service unveiled the haul, which ranges from watches and jewelry, including a 10.5-carat diamond engagement ring, to slippers and boxer shorts collected from the drawers and closets of Bernie's homes in Manhattan and Montauk, N.Y. 

    Auction Site.   Reporters visited the auction site - an industrial building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard - and found the Madoff household wares neatly arranged in a cavernous room.  It resembled at once a furniture store showroom - with entire rooms from the Madoff residences recreated as they were found, a cheap flea market (kitchen utensils and bath towels, anyone?) and a solemn museum (in hindsight, that crystal alumni achievement award from Hofstra University looks a little misguided). 

Nearly 500 lots - encompassing several thousand items - will be for sale on Saturday, from the garish, floral-patterned canopy bed taken from the master bedroom of the Madoffs’ penthouse (“Mattress Is Not Included,” a sign warned) to their book collection (featuring titles like “Eat More, Weigh Less: Dr. Dean Ornish’s Life Choice Program for Losing Weight Safely While Eating Abundantly”). 

To continue reading and/or view a video of the collection, click onto:   [ NYT Dealbook, 11/10 ]