Over Greece's Protests, Royal Artifacts Sell for $18.4M
LONDON -- Heirlooms once owned by the former Greek royal family sold for $18.4 million, Christie's said Thursday at the end of a two-day auction.
The sale took place despite protests from the Greek government in Athens, which at the last minute urged the London-based auction house not to sell the artifacts -- more than 850 items that originally belonged to King George I of Greece -- saying they may have been illegally exported.
However, Christie's said it saw no reason for the sale not to go ahead.
The most expensive item of the auction was a pair of massive silver Victorian pilgrim flasks, which sold Wednesday for $1.1 million, Christie's said in a statement. A gold Faberge egg sold for $546,680.
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The sale took place despite protests from the Greek government in Athens, which at the last minute urged the London-based auction house not to sell the artifacts -- more than 850 items that originally belonged to King George I of Greece -- saying they may have been illegally exported.
However, Christie's said it saw no reason for the sale not to go ahead.
The most expensive item of the auction was a pair of massive silver Victorian pilgrim flasks, which sold Wednesday for $1.1 million, Christie's said in a statement. A gold Faberge egg sold for $546,680.