ENRON Raising funds with E's

A Houston chemist paid $10,500 for an Enron sign because his wife likes the unusual.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The value of Enron Corp.'s signature "tilted E" has dropped like the company's stock did a year ago, a possible sign that fascination with the rubble of the once-giant energy trader is fading.
At a second auction of equipment and other Enron-related items held to raise money for the fallen energy trader's creditors, a Houston chemist paid $10,500 for one of two oft-televised stainless-steel logos that once stood outside the company's downtown offices.
"I think it's going to be a great conversation piece," said Bobby Shackouls, 55, who said his wife, Judy, wanted the infamous letter for Christmas.
"She just likes unique things," Shackouls explained, adding that they might convert it into a coffee table.
This week's three-day auction comes one year after Enron filed for bankruptcy protection.
Additional items
A similar two-day sale in September netted $3.3 million, including $44,000 from the auction of a 5-by-5-foot stainless-steel tilted-E logo sign that used to be mounted outside one of Enron's satellite offices.
Other, more mundane items also went for more reasonable prices than in September. For instance, two 20-inch televisions were auctioned off for $150 each, when a similar set went for $900 earlier this autumn.
Betty Haynes, who runs Second Chance Life Ministries in Houston, bought two 25-inch televisions for $160 each that she said would be given to needy families for Christmas.
Today, the auction was to wrap up with the sale of a third and final stainless-steel logo as well as a colorful lighted rotating model dubbed the "Disco E."
A third and final auction planned for January or February will feature furniture and fixtures, such as granite-topped conference tables and new carpet that was never installed.