Racquet signed by Srikanth is highest grosser at e-auction

Coming close are other sports memorabilia items – a T-shirt autographed by Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Gold medallist Manish Narwal (Rs 50.25 lakh) and another T-shirt autographed by para-powerlifter Sudhir, who secured the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 (Rs 50.20 lakh). The 25 sports memorabilia, most of which had a starting price of Rs 5 lakh, were among the most bid items.

Besides sports items, which generally have a higher base price, other objects which received the maximum bids during the 26-day auction include a model of the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex, which was presented to the PM by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

A black marble sculpture of Subhas Chandra Bose presented by sculptor Arun Yogiraj, got 139 bids, with the highest quoted price going up to Rs 41,71,500. The glass statue of Lord Ramand his family, also presented by the UP CM, with a base price of Rs 32,400, got 131 bids, going up to Rs 29.95 lakh. A model of Golden Temple garnered Rs 19.73 lakh, while a memento of the recently concluded Chess Olympiad got Rs 19.72 lakh.

At the auction closing, all the quoted bids will be approved with the respective bidders, and once payment is received, the objects will be dispatched to them, say officials in the Ministry of Culture, which was entrusted with executing the auction process.