November 21, 2022

‘Gifts to the City’ Auctions Feature Over 50 Gifts to Mayors Koch, Dinkins, Giuliani, and Bloomberg

Items Include Autographed Sports Memorabilia, Art, Jewelry, and Other Keepsakes

NEW YORK – NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock and NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) Commissioner Pauline A. Toole today announced the launch of Gifts to the City, a series of online auctions of select items gifted to previous New York City mayors. An initial selection of over 50 items from Mayors Koch, Dinkins, Giuliani, and Bloomberg are now up for auction by DCAS and auctions will last between one to three weeks. Items include autographed sports memorabilia, art, jewelry, and other keepsakes. Items gifted to mayors and other City officials remain the property of the City of New York and are managed by DORIS. The items up for auction have been deemed by DORIS to have no research or archival value.

Some featured items include:

• Nike Air Force One Sneakers Autographed by Ice-T and Fab 5 Freddy – Mayor Bloomberg

• Tiffany & Co. Cake Slicer Inscribed for the Museum of the City of New York Groundbreaking in 2006 – Mayor Bloomberg

• Tiffany & Co. Clock Inscribed with: Hospital for Special Surgery Discovery to Recovery, 2005 – Mayor Bloomberg

• A 25-inch String of Pearls Gifted to Mayor Bloomberg – Mayor Bloomberg

• Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Cufflinks and Lapel Pin – Mayor Giuliani

• A Louis Vuitton 1998 World Cup Soccer Ball – Mayor Giuliani

• A Spalding Basketball Autographed by New York Knicks Players – Mayor Giuliani

• Glass Apple Shaped Paperweight Gifted by Diana Ross – Mayor Dinkins

• Silver Bowl from Catalca, Istanbul in a Velvet Enclosure – Mayor Dinkins

• Framed Chinese Art – Mayor Dinkins

• Matted Portrait of Mayor Koch by Miriam Troop (autographed by Mayor Koch) – Mayor Koch

• Framed Front Page of The Village Voice featuring Cover Story: Mayor Dearest: An Exclusive Preview of Mayor Koch’s Memoirs – Mayor Koch

• Original Painting by Artist Peter Max Depicting the Face of the Statue of Liberty; Includes a Hand-Written Inscription to Mayor Koch and the Artist's Signature – Mayor Koch

“Gifts to the City offers a unique opportunity to own a piece of history,” said NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “This is the first time the City has auctioned gifts to past mayors, and New Yorkers have a chance to purchase items they won’t get anywhere else.”

“We are pleased to work with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to hold this auction of unique memorabilia,” said NYC Department of Records and Information Services Commissioner Pauline Toole. “Purchasers will receive a special certificate of provenance certifying that the item sold at auction is an authentic gift originally received by a Mayor of the City of New York and that the purchase will support the work of the Municipal Archives and Municipal Library.”

The Gifts to the City auctions are open to the public and City employees, except for employees of DCAS and DORIS, and any persons or firms associated with DCAS and DORIS employees. For the purposes of this auction, a person or firm associated with DCAS and DORIS employees include spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, or siblings; a person with whom the DCAS or DORIS employee has business or other financial relations, and each firm in which such employees have a present or potential interest.  

Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Municipal Archives Reference and Research Fund (MARRF). Established from the proceeds of a prior auction of City ephemera and Audubon prints in 1985, MARRF supports projects to preserve and provide access to historical and contemporary records in the Municipal Archives and Library. The Municipal Archives previously auctioned non-archival saloon licenses, canceled bonds, and, most famously, a folio of Audubon drawings. 

Each year DCAS conducts over 4,000 surplus auctions of City property, ranging from furniture, to vehicles, to office supplies, and more. Listings for all City of New York surplus auctions can be found on the DCAS website.  
About the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services

The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) makes city government work for all New Yorkers. Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the resources and support needed to succeed, including:

• Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
• Managing 55 public buildings.
• Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
• Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
• Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
• Leading the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.

Learn more about DCAS by visiting nyc.gov/dcas and by following us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and listening to the Inside Citywide podcast.