Up for sale at one of Europe's posh-est auctions, graffiti-covered segments of the Berlin Wall sold for as much as $33,000 for a 2.5-ton chunk.
About 40 pieces of the wall were sold Saturday night at the Metropole Palace, for a total of $630,000. The proceeds were to benefit public health services in East Germany.But many lots were withdrawn by the organizers - a consortium of East German and West German companies - because no bidders reached the minimum sale prices set in advance. These prices ranged from $12,600 to $36,000.
The biggest spender was an unidentified Swiss buyer who bought eight chunks for $175,000.
Most of the pieces up for bid weighed more than two tons and were almost 12 feet high, which may have inhibited collectors with limited display space.