Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Gavel and Collar Raise More Than $500K for Charity

The personal belongings of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have earned more than half a million dollars for charity. Her collar, which she began wearing alongside former justice Sandra Day O’Connor, sold at a charity auction for $176,775, and her gavel and block brought in more than $20,000. Other items on the roster included two pairs of gloves, which fetched nearly $30,000, while one of her shawls sold for $12,000 and her opera glasses earned nearly $11,000. In total, the justice’s items raked in a whopping $517,000 for SOS Children’s Villages. Throughout the course of her career, Ginsburg earned herself a cult-like following, which included global merchandise sales and a feminist moniker as the “Notorious RBG.” She rose to prominence as a chief architect of the women’s rights movement in the 1970s, and was the first justice to officiate a same-sex marriage. Her prominence as a key member of the nation’s highest court make her items highly desirable.