The Lalbaugcha Raja mandal earned a sum of Rs 90 lakh from auctioning its gold and silver offerings this year. Saturday’s final bid garnered Rs 36.81 lakh which was added to the previous tally of Rs 53.13 lakh collected over Thursday and Friday. Items left over from the auction will be sold Monday morning.
Saturday’s bestsellers included a golden idol of Ganpati which sold for Rs 7.25 lakh, a golden ‘mooshak’ (mouse) for Rs 3.60 lakh, a dear little golden house for the same amount, and a bracelet for Rs 2.87 lakh. An ornate silver mace weighing 1 kg went for Rs 1.01 lakh and a silver idol sold for Rs 1.55 lakh.
Shortly after 5.00pm, volunteers hauled a heavy treasure chest containing gold and silver curios upon the dais. The first to emerge was a beautiful, kingsize silver garland carefully crafted to sit around the Raja’s neck. It was a pity the deity did not get to try it on before it was immersed. The mandal finally received Rs 75,000 for this ornament.
Another worker drew a large silver mace and waved it over his head like a warrior in battle before placing it upon the table. It weighed 1 kg and although it was worth Rs 35,000 going by Saturday’s rate of silver, the mandal hoped for Rs 50,000. It sold for Rs 75,000. Large silver modaks almost 8-10 inches in diameter looked inviting too.
A curious mistake unfolded in the run-up to the bid though. On Tuesday, the mandal announced that the costliest offering it had received this season was a golden moorti of Lord Ganesh weighing 500 gm. By current market rates, its value would be Rs 12.75 lakh. However, on Friday, officials revised its weight to a mere 50 gm, which shrunk its worth to Rs 1.27 lakh. At Saturday’s auction, the moorti presented itself in a new avatar weighing 159 gm. The mandal declared an asking price of Rs 4.3 lakh. After bidding, it finally sold for Rs 7.25 lakh.
Unlike previous years, there was plenty of seating space in the auction hall. A handful of familiar names like Hitesh, Mogre, Gandhi and Bhatia made their presence felt even as the media stayed away.