Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

Update 10/20/17: Crain’s reports that Trump’s doodle has sold at auction for $16,000. The buyer has not been named, but a portion of the sale will benefit Connecticut National Public Radio station WHDD-FM.

He may not have had any formal political experience before taking office, but Donald Trump was certainly well versed in doodling. In July, a 2005 charity auction sketch he made of the NYC skyline, which not surprisingly depicts Trump Tower front and center among anonymous buildings, sold at auction for an incredible $29,184. And now, as reported by the Guardian, a similarly elementary sketch he did of the Empire State Building is also headed to auction, where it’s expected to fetch up to $12,000, a portion of which will be donated to National Public Radio (NPR). Interestingly, Trump did the signed drawing in 1995, the year after he began his fraught attempt to take ownership of the landmark building.

As 6sqft previously explained, Trump owned a 50 percent stake in the Empire State Building beginning in 1994, when then-owner Hideki Yokoi, Japanese billionaire real estate investor, gave him a share at no cost. At the time, Trump’s publicist released a statement that read “Trump Buys Empire State Building,” with him boasting: “This is a great deal for me. It solidifies my position as New York’s Native Son. I get 50% of all the upside, and I intend to make my position worth a fortune. It is my intent to take the action necessary to restore the Empire State Building to its rightful position as a world-class real estate asset. I’ve always said that New York is the greatest city on Earth, and I’m giving native New Yorkers the guarantee it will remain our city.” But after several members of the Yokoi family were imprisoned for forging documents related to the building, Trump ultimately sold his stake in 2002.

But the Donald’s sketch of the Empire State Building allows his failed attempt to live on. The 12″ x 9″ black marker drawing was made for a 1995 charity auction at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago. At the time, it sold for less than $100. Now, Julien’s Auctions in L.A. says the estimated sale is between $8,000 and $12,000. It’s part of their Street, Contemporary and Celebrity Art auction, which will take place both online and at their Los Angeles location on October 19th.

[Via The Guardian]

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