NEW YORK—Art and furniture from the estate of former Mayor Ed Koch were sold for a total of over $50,000 at a New York City auction.
A set of pottery from the Iron Age, a Chinese paper panel, and a mahogany inlaid desk were among dozens of items from Koch’s Greenwich Village home auction by Doyle New York.
The highlight was a set of six fruitwood barrel dining chairs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A buyer from Florida bought the chairs well above the pre-auction estimate of $3,500. A matching dining table sold for $1,375.
Koch was mayor for three terms between 1977 and 1989. After his third term, he went on to practice law. He also reviewed movies and restaurants for newspapers, radio, and television, and commented on politics.
Koch was a lifelong Democrat who described himself as a “liberal with sanity.” He rode the subways and stood on street corners asking passersby, “How’m I doin’?” Koch died at the age of 88 in February.
The ex-mayor’s favorite burgundy leather chair with an ottoman sold for $875 to a buyer in Alabama.
Monday’s auction was the first of two. Koch’s letters, autographs, and books will be auctioned on Nov. 25. The letters include those from Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan.
