Jeff Koons' art in auction to fight child abuse
Anyone with at least $1 may be able to help fund York County's Child Abduction Response Team by bidding on any of almost 200 items, including artwork by York County's Jeff Koons, that go up for an online auction.
The child abduction team — an all-volunteer team comprised of members from local law enforcement, the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, probation officers, the York County Department of Emergency Services, the courts and other county agencies — is a specialized strike force that works to help recover missing and abducted children.
It's one of 16 national teams certified by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the only certified team in Pennsylvania.
All proceeds from the auction, which is now open and closes on April 2, will benefit the response team.
The auction features an estimated $35,500 worth of vacation packages, collectibles, art, attraction tickets and more — all generally expected to sell well below market value. All auction prices start at $1 with no reserve, so each item will go to the highest bidder.
The two Koons art pieces available at the auction both are skateboards produced in 2006 when he teamed up with Supreme, a skate shop based in New York to produce the limited edition boards. They are heat transfer prints on wooden skateboards. The models available are:
- "Monkey Train Skateboard" is blue with five monkey heads against an image of a train in silver. The top of the skateboard is signed by the artist, stamped and titled Monkey Train and is from artist's edition of 100.
- "Monkey Train Supreme Skateboard" is three monkey faces atop a layered composition on a yellow skateboard deck. Again, the top of the skateboard is signed by the artist, stamped and titled Monkey Train and is from artist's edition of 100.
The value of the boards, as listed on the auction's website, is "priceless."
The goal of this auction is to help raise funds to keep our team trained to the highest standards and plan for the replacement of our tracking bloodhound, Lt. Lou,” said Darryl Albright, response team leader and chief detective in the York County District Attorney’s Office. “Bidders have a chance to get great deals on the items up for auction and help keep a vital resource available in case something happens to a child in this community.”
Bidders can register now by going to www.32auctions.com/YorkCoCARE and creating a login account. There is no fee or cost to register.