Auction of Ginsburg property to benefit Washington opera

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s silver tea set is going to a family with a 5-year-old daughter who once was Ginsburg for Halloween. A medal Ginsburg was awarded when inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame is going to a family that demonstrated for reproductive rights. And a drawing of her that hung in her office was a Utah-based scientist’s Mother’s Day gift to his wife.

All told, an online auction of 150 items owned by the late justice raised $803,650 for Washington National Opera, one of the late justice’s passions. The auction ended in late April, and buyers are now picking up items or arranging to have them shipped to their homes in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Germany. Winning bids ranged from $850 to $55,000.

Ginsburg died of cancer at age 87 in September 2020. In her later years, the court’s second female justice and liberal icon also become a pop culture figure known as the “Notorious RBG.” In January, an online auction of her books brought in $2.3 million.

Washington National Opera artistic director Francesca Zambello, a friend of Ginsburg’s, said the auction’s proceeds will be “a huge help this year as we try to cultivate the return of our audience” amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic.

The auction’s biggest ticket item was the drawing of Ginsburg, which sold for $55,000.

Krishan Paramesvaran was the winning bidder on two items: a wood sculpture for $3,500 and a silver tea set for $5,000. He said his family plans to put the sculpture in their living room and the tea set alongside china in their dining room.