Gifts given to former NYC mayors will be sold – NBC New York (47)

NEW YORK — What do a pair of designer sneakers, a Louis Vuitton soccer ball and a Los Angeles basketball have in common? New York Knicks?

Two things, really: They were all given to former mayors of New York once upon a time, and now they can be yours.

In town hall, those who have taken the oath understand that even the gift of service has terms and conditions. And one of the major conditions is that mayors (or any legislator) cannot accept certain gifts from the people.

Pauline Toole, commissioner of the New York City Department of Records, is responsible for tens of thousands of documents held in the city’s municipal archives. And she’s now helping coordinate a gift auction for city mayors, the first such auction in 37 years.

Toole showed off the Louis Vuitton soccer ball given to Mayor Rudy Giuliani when France won the 1998 World Cup, which he said could “raise $8,000 or more.” There is also a Willie Nelson CD that the singer allegedly gave to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In a safe is a high-end item that was also given to Bloomberg: a 25-inch pearl necklace.

But so far, the object that has attracted the most attention: a painting by Peter Max of the face of the Statue of Liberty, with a message on the back.

“To the Honorable Mayor Koch, love Peter Max,” reads the handwritten note.

The auction is conducted entirely online and will be overseen by the city’s Department of Administrative Services. Those interested can scroll down to one of the previous mayors, click through to see what’s available, and bid.

“The lowest price is $20 and it goes up from there,” Toole said.

The money raised will help keep valuables that aren’t for sale, such as old blueprints that workers are keeping, Toole said. Or bits of Brooklyn history, like the 1957 home plate of Ebbetts Field.

And while home plate can be dirty territory for someone looking to bid, there are many things that are fair game: a pair of Ice-T designer sneakers for Bloomberg; a crystal apple from Diana Ross to Mayor David Dinkins; a basketball signed by the 1998 Knicks, coached by Larry Johnson, to then Mayor Giuliani. There is also a Tiffany cake cutter and a pocket watch.

“[Los artículos] They are unique. Gifts for mayors. But they are also beautiful! You won’t find them anywhere else,” Toole said.