STAR TREK - STAR TREK AUCTION EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

STAR TREK AUCTION EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

STAR TREK fans from around the world have snapped up memorabilia from the TV and movie franchise at a New York City auction celebrating its 40th anniversary. Bidders wearing costumes from the cult show paid more than 10 times the pre-sale estimate for items including prop weapons and models of spaceships. The highest value items were a model of the Starship Enterprise E, which sold for $132,000 (GBP70,000), and a Borg cube model from STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, which fetched $96,000 (GBP51,000). They were only expected to raise $8,000 (GBP4,250) and $1,000 (GBP530) respectively. CAPTAIN JEAN-LUC PICARD's chair sold for more than $62,000 (GBP34,000). Christie's auction house expected to gather $2 million (GBP1.1 million) from the sale of more than 1,000 items - but the final total should now greatly exceed that. The sale will end tomorrow (07OCT06). Final items to go under the hammer include costumes worn by WILLIAM SHATNER's character CAPTAIN JAMES T KIRK and LEONARD NIMOY'S MR SPOCK.