It looked like buyers had realized the tackiness of Saddamerobilia and demand for the items would abate. In a recession-pinched auction market, the ship didn’t see any bids and eventually sailed back to Basra. The Iraqi government hoped to get $30 million for a 270-foot luxury yacht, the Ocean Breeze, once belonging to Saddam but rarely used. There was no word on how these items made it from Iraq to the collectibles market, but the mini-industry stalled when the motherload went up for sale last year. Saddam’s diamond-encrusted Rolex was sold for $150,000 his favorite Dior sunglasses garnered $12,000 and a Cartier pen used for execution orders saw a $5,000 price tag.

After this, Saddamerobilia soon began to fetch obscene prices. Bush got in on the fun snapping up the pistol brandished by Hussein when he was captured by U.S. The statue bits were later revealed to be fake. Chunks allegedly from Saddam’s statue in Baghdad’s Fardus Square appeared soon after shoe-slapping Iraqis and US soldiers yanked his likeness down. In the days following his brutal regime, a number of items made the rounds online including dinar notes bearing Saddam’s likeness and a fork from one of his palaces, both of which sold for over $100 on eBay. The fascination with all things Saddam began immediately after the Iraqi dictator was deposed in 2003. Two, even the niche dictator memorabilia market is not immune from the recession. One, Saddam Hussein was one of the most iconic tyrants of the 20th century. A bizarre cottage industry born out of the war in Iraq carries a few lessons about humans and the economy.

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