The Art of the Unusual

Every object has a story to tell...

Fine art. Priceless jewels. Museum-worthy masterpieces. In 1970s New York, the auction world was a velvet-rope affair--until Arlan Ettinger crashed the party.

With his wife, Barbara, Arlan launched Guernsey's, a scrappy, anything-goes auction house that turned the industry on its head. Forget Old Masters--Guernsey's sold the unexpected, the irresistible, the downright bizarre. Doors from the legendary Chelsea Hotel. The entire contents of the SS United States. Personal treasures from JFK. If it had a story, Guernsey's could sell it--and suddenly, everyone wanted in.

Part business adventure, part cultural time capsule, this is the story of the auction house that proved you don't need millions to own a piece of history--you just need curiosity, a sense of humor, and a willingness to see value where others don't. Because the real magic isn't just in what things are worth--it's in what they mean. A door, a suitcase, a scrap of paper: objects carry the lives, legends, and moments that shaped us. This book is a celebration of that invisible thread between people and things--and the surprising, often joyful ways our stories live on through what we leave behind.