The Bronze Buttock From Saddam Hussein’s Statue Is Going Up For Auction

The toppling of the 39-foot-tall statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in 2003 was one of the lasting images from the Iraq war.

Now, you can own a piece of history. On October 27th, Hansons Auctioneers in Derby, England is selling one of the buttocks from Saddam's statue.

Nigel Ely is a former soldier in Britain's special forces who was covering the Iraq war for British TV.  He asked the U.S. Marines guarding the ruined statue if he could take a piece.

He claims they told him, quote, "No problem, buddy.  Help yourself."  They even got him a sledgehammer and crowbar.

Nigel was looking for a pocket-sized piece of the statue to keep as a souvenir. Instead, he ended up with a two-foot chunk of Saddam's buttock.

Getting the cheek back to England was a challenge. When the Kuwaiti army stopped him at the border, Nigel convinced them it was a piece of vehicle armor.

The airline charged him a $600 excess baggage fee to fly it back to London.  It's expected to bring about $15,750 at auction.

The proceeds from the sale will be donated to help injured ex-servicemen in England and the United States.

(BBC)