Star Trek Auction

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

It looked like any other auction, until you noticed the guy with pointed Vulcan ears.
Christie's boldly went where no auction house has ever gone before -- kicking off a three-day sale of Star Trek memorabilia. From costumes and props to blueprints and furniture, the auction featured more than 1,000 lots from the archives of CBS Paramount Television Studios.

The bidding started quickly, with battles taking place on some of the early lots. Bids were accepted on the floor, on the phone and on the Internet. A captain's chair once belonging to Jean-Luc Picard from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise sold for a gavel price of $52,000 -- far beyond the presale estimate of $9,000. The chair itself is covered with burgundy-dyed imitation leather and features simulated control panels in the armrests -- hardly high-end or high-tech. But the cheesiness factor didn't scare off devoted fans of the show, who filled the midtown Manhattan auction.