NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – Step inside Luther Auctions in North St. Paul and you’ll find yourself in a world of greed and corruption. 86 items which were once the property of Tom Petters are on display.
Amanda Skatrud, asset forfeiture coordinator with the U.S. Marshall’s offices, is helping organize the sale of Petters’ seized property to help repay the many victims of his Ponzi scheme.
“Usually you see this happening in New York, so I think that’s part of it,” Skatrud said.
Petters’ collection ranges from precious, one-of-a-kind pieces of art to Petters’ fascination with sports celebrities. There are autographed photos of Whitey Ford and a football with Don Meredith’s personalized signature. Not far from a LeRoy Neiman painting is a red boxing glove with a personalized signature from Sugar Ray Leonard.
The former owner of Sun Country Airlines had his own leather captain’s jacked displayed in a large frame. There’s also the unique pieces of sculpture, including a small concrete dog that is covered in U.S. currency.
“It’s very heavy because it’s made of cement. It won’t go away too quickly!” Skatrud said.
Auctioneer Tracy Luther says the items being sold can help strip away the veneer of the man who once owned them. They reveal his taste in decor and certain fascination with fame.
“The fact it was owned by somebody that had notoriety is fun too. It’s interesting to have a piece but it’s also nice to have story to go along with it. A lot of people like the history of things,” Luther said.
If you want to preview the items in person you can do that Sunday, Oct. 14 from 4–8 p.m., and Monday before the auction from 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Bidding will begin Monday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. sharp.
For more information or to view the complete list of items online, click here.
