Fifteen Minutes to Spare

The sale of the Vasari documents which I related here was called off fifteen minutes before the auction was scheduled to begin. Lawyers for the owner obstructed the sale, claiming the papers were being sold too cheaply. A judge must now decide whether a higher starting price is justified. More details here from the BBC.

Note: If you're thinking of bidding, Italy's culture minister has ordered that the papers cannot be removed from Vasari's former home in Tuscany. So maybe you'd better plan on buying the house, too!