Gifts Donated to Past NYC Mayors To Be Sold Off — And Some Good Stuff Is Up for Grabs

What do a signed pair of sneakers, a Louis Vuitton soccer ball and a basketball from the New York Knicks all have in common?

Two things, really: They were all once donated to past mayors of New York City, and now they can all be yours.

At City Hall, those who have taken the oath understand the gift of service also comes with terms and conditions. And one of the biggest conditions is that mayors (or any lawmakers) can't accept certain gifts from people.

Pauline Toole, the commissioner of the NYC's Department of Records, is responsible for tens of thousands of documents stored in the city’s municipal archives. And now she’s helping coordinate an auction of gifts to the city’s mayors — the first auction of its kind in 37 years.

Toole showed the Louis Vuitton soccer ball given to Mayor Rudy Giuliani when France won the 1998 World Cup, which she said could "bring in $8,000, or more." There’s also a Willie Nelson CD the singer supposedly gave Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Locked in a safe is a higher-end item also gifted to Bloomberg: a 25-inch string of pearls.

But so far the item drawing the most attention: a Peter Max painting of the Statue of Liberty's face, with a message on the back.

"For the honorable Mayor Koch — with love Peter Max," the hand-written message reads.

The auction is taking place entirely online, and will be monitored by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Those interested can scroll down to one of the previous mayors, click to see what’s available, and make a bid.

"The lowest price is $20 and goes up from there," Toole said.

The money raised will help store valuable items that are not for sale, like old blueprints workers are preserving, Toole said. Or pieces of Brooklyn history, like the home plate from Ebbetts Field from 1957.

And while home plate may be foul territory for those looking to put in a bid, there is plenty that is fair game: A pair of sneakers signed by Ice-T for Bloomberg; a crystal apple from Diana Ross to Mayor David Dinkins; a signed basketball from the the Larry Johnson-coached Knicks of 1998 to then-Mayor Giuliani. There’s also a Tiffany cake slicer and a pocket watch. 

"[The items] are unique. Gifts to mayors. But also they’re beautiful! You’re not gonna get them anywhere else," Toole said.