The Bronze Buttock From Saddam Hussein’s Statue Is Going Up For Auction
The toppling of the 39-foot-tall statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in 2003 was one of the lasting images from the Iraq war.
Now, you can own a piece of history. On October 27th, Hansons Auctioneers in Derby, England is selling one of the buttocks from Saddam's statue.
Nigel Ely is a former soldier in Britain's special forces who was covering the Iraq war for British TV. He asked the U.S. Marines guarding the ruined statue if he could take a piece.
He claims they told him, quote, "No problem, buddy. Help yourself." They even got him a sledgehammer and crowbar.
Nigel was looking for a pocket-sized piece of the statue to keep as a souvenir. Instead, he ended up with a two-foot chunk of Saddam's buttock.
Getting the cheek back to England was a challenge. When the Kuwaiti army stopped him at the border, Nigel convinced them it was a piece of vehicle armor.
The airline charged him a $600 excess baggage fee to fly it back to London. It's expected to bring about $15,750 at auction.
The proceeds from the sale will be donated to help injured ex-servicemen in England and the United States.
(BBC)