Price Is Right at Auction of Items From Marcos Home

It was an auction of the ridiculous and the sublime as furnishings from the New York town house owned by Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were auctioned off by the Philippine government. Plastic flowers brought $200, while a Steinway grand piano, kept so that pianist Van Cliburn could entertain Mrs. Marcos while visiting the town house, sold for $18,500. But a George III mahogany writing table, valued at up to $12,000, fetched only $7,000. Competing for bidders’ dollars along with Philippine folk art and antique furnishings were a stack of pillows, one of which read: “Nouveau riche is better than no riche at all.” Dr. Edward Soufar of Kings Point, N.Y., who paid $2,000 for a four-foot-tall camel made of seashells, said he “found the price was attractive.” Alice Yeterian, who traveled all the way from Tucson to attend the auction, was less impressed. “This is like a junkyard,” she said. Perla Rappaport, a Philippine national who bought $6,000 worth of paintings and sculpture, said: “We’re not here for a bargain. We’re here to be part of history.”

--The British royal family has had a rough go of it during their vacation to Scotland. The newly wed Duchess of York twisted her left knee during a picnic and was limping during a tour of Aberdeen, the first official engagement by Sarah and Prince Andrew following their marriage on July 23. The Queen Mother was given a clean bill of health after being flown by helicopter to the hospital in Aberdeen for tests. The Queen Mother, who recently celebrated her 86th birthday, suffered a throat spasm after eating fish at the Castle of Mey, her Scottish home at Caithness, but was discharged after less than 24 hours. Prince Charles told reporters after visiting his grandmother in the hospital: “She is fine now. It was just a small problem, now completely sorted out.”

--The king of the wild frontier is 200 years old today, and thousands of Davy Crockett fans and history buffs have converged on his hometown of Limestone, Tenn., in coonskin caps to celebrate. The event also marks the 150th anniversary of Crockett’s death fighting for Texas’ independence at the Alamo. “This just seemed like a fun thing to come down for,” said Russ Raynor, 35, who drove to Limestone from Long Island, N.Y.