WSET.com - ABC13A Billionaire's Estate Goes to Auction

A Billionaire's Estate Goes to Auction

Reporter: Sally Delta

Lynchburg, VA - Quite a few people in our area now have their own piece of a billionaire's estate. The Kluge Collection went on sale at an auction in Lynchburg Saturday.

Patricia Kluge and her husband filed for bankruptcy last year after banks foreclosed on their winery and other property in Charlottesville. The auction has been highly anticipated because it isn't your run of the mill auction; they've got skeletons, skis, even stuffed bears - the real kind!

"I'd rather see it running around in the woods than being stuffed; I'm not really in to that kind of stuff," said Larry Ring, auction shopper.

But, even if you weren't into dead animal decor, there were plenty of other things to choose from.

"There's some outdoor furniture that we'd absolutely love," said Carol Ann Cosby, auction shopper.

"Some unusual, expensive crystal and paintings," said Ring.

"And some serving pieces," said Cosby.

And the list goes on and on, including several cars and a $5,000 watch. The Patricia Kluge Estate had approximately 400 lots for sale, and not all of it could fit in one room. Shoppers bid on the big stuff like cars outside and things like clothes inside.

"I can't get her to let go of it long enough to look at it," said Jeanette Jackson, shopper.

Jeanette Jackson and her friends came out for the fur.

"This is Oscar de la Renta and it fits!" said Jackson."I think it's wonderful, I don't know that I'll go home with anything but I'm certainly willing to look."

Some shoppers had no intention of even bidding; they were just interested in the idea of browsing through a billionaire's closet.

"It's some really neat stuff; I'm just sad that it had to happen," said Ring.

"Is it cool for you to know you have a billionaire's things in your house?" we asked.

"No, not really; I don't care about that stuff," said Ring.

The auction was an absolute auction, meaning everything had to go. You might remember, Donald Trump purchased most of the Kluge property last year.