PM Modi mementos e-auction to end today; highest bid for Neeraj Chopra's javelin
PM memento auction: Another javelin used by Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil, with a base price of ₹1 crore, has received a bid of ₹1,00,20,000 from one bidder, while a wooden model of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya saw 24 bids coming in. The temple's base value was ₹2,50,000.
The e-auction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gifts will end on Thursday evening, the government has said. In the ongoing auction, historical items and religious artefacts seem to have drawn more interest, while sports gears of Olympians have received the highest bids.
The online auction had started on September 17 and will end at 5pm today.
The javelin used by Neeraj Chopra, which brought him the gold medal, has received the highest bid, according to PM Mementos website. It had a base price of ₹1,00,00,000 (1 crore or 10 million), and currently stands at ₹1,00,50,000, according to the website. The javelin has received two bids so far.
The website says that it is an autographed javelin presented by Neeraj Chopra to PM Modi. The javelin received the highest bid of ₹10 crore on the opening day (October 4), but it was later cancelled on the suspicion that it could be a fake bid.
Another javelin used by Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil, with a base price of ₹1 crore, has received a bid of ₹1,00,20,000 from one bidder, while a wooden model of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya saw 24 bids coming in. The temple's base value was ₹2,50,000.
A metal mace whose base price was ₹2,500 has received 54 bids, with the highest at ₹5 lakh.
A badminton racquet autographed by Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games gold medallist Krishna Nagar received a highest bid of ₹80.15 lakh but there were only three bidders who showed interest in it.
Similarly, a small metallic figurine showing Lord Rama, Hanuman, Laxman and Goddess Sita, titled Bhagwan Ram Parivar, received 44 bids, with the highest being ₹1.35 lakh. Its base price was only ₹10,000.
Apart from religious items, a large-scale three-dimensional replica model of a DRDO tank placed inside a glass box has received 23 bids, with the highest being ₹5 lakh. Its base price was ₹75,000.
So far, of the 1,348 mementos around 1,083 items have received bids.
After the auction ends on October 7, the government will notify the highest bidders through email.
At the last such auction in September 2019, as many as 2,770 objects went under the hammer. These included paintings, sculptures, shawls, jackets and traditional musical instruments. The proceeds were donated to the Namami Gange Mission.
