Someone Paid $4,250 for Frank Sinatra’s Gold Toilet and We Have Questions
Have you ever dreamed of being able to sit on Frank Sinatra’s gilded toilet? Yeah, we hadn’t either. But now that we know the opportunity exists, we’re extremely intrigued. A collection of items from Sinatra’s “Chairman Suite” at the former Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey went up for auction last weekend, and well, Sinatra had a really interesting taste.
According to CBS Philadelphia, the items appeared on the auction block at S&S Auction, Inc. in Swedesboro, New Jersey on Sunday, January 26. The auction house had recently purchased the “Chairman Suite” collection, which was comprised of furniture and home decor items Sinatra used to furnish his Golden Nugget executive suite in the 1980s.
The strangest items to hit the auction block last Sunday were a collection of six—yes, six—marble toilets, including two marble bidets, all of which were designed by luxury bathroom accessories designer Sherle Wagner. (Um, how big exactly was this “Chairman Suite?”) S&S Auction Marketing Manager David Berenblit told CBS Philadelphia that these toilets—marketed as “commodes” at the auction and each sold separately—most likely cost Sinatra about $20,000 to $30,000 to purchase new.
The toilet that brought in the most money at the auction was the piece that came complete with a gold gilded seashell seat. According to LiveAuctioneers.com, the piece was expected to bring in around $1,500 to $2,500, but ultimately sold for $4,250.
Two other black Italian marble commodes, each adorned with bronze-finish shell seats similar to the one above, sold for $3,750 and $3,500. The marble bidets each fetched less than $1,000, as reported by LiveAuctioneers.
The most expensive item at the auction was a signed Enid Yandell-designed fountain dated 1909. It was expected to bring in between $30,000 and $50,000, and was won at a *cough* reasonable *cough* $33,000 after 23 rounds of a bidding war.
Surprisingly, Sinatra’s white-laquered Yamaha baby grand piano, one of the predicted big-ticket items expected to bring upwards of $20,000, only brought in $7,000. And Old Blue Eyes’ Ferdinand Berthoud longcase clock, housed in a bronze-and-ebony case, and expected to bring in well over $20,000, was nabbed for just $13,000.
As Berenblit predicted, many items from the vast collection sold for $100 or less. These items included a $50 pair of Hollywood Regency ottomans, a $50 pair of Regency brass-mounted tables, and a $100 pair of stained glass panels that were expected to bring in upwards of $900.
Sinatra obviously had a flair for the gaudy and liked to mix styles. He seemingly combined Asian art with French-styled baroque furniture, and paired mid-century modern table lamps with ornate Victorian bronze wall sconces. He liked what he liked and certainly didn’t mind flaunting his wealth.
You can check out the entire collection via LiveAuctioneers.com. Needless to say, we’re adding gilded marble toilets (please note the plural) to our vision board.