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Orson Welles Auction
NEW YORK (AP) — Scripts for "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles' camera and a cigar ashtray were among the late director's belongings sold at a New York auction.
Sixty-seven lots fetched $180,000 at Heritage Auctions on Saturday.
Margaret Barrett, Heritage's director of entertainment-linked auctions, called the items "a piece of cinema royalty."
Two dozen pages of scripts for the 1941 masterpiece "Citizen Kane" went for $15,000, far surpassing the $2,000 presale estimate.
Welles' old Bell & Howell movie camera used to record a bullfight in Spain sold for $37,500, against a $2,000 estimate.
And a silver-plated cigar ashtray Ernest Hemingway gave Welles fetched $5,000. That's six times the expected price.
Also on the block were memorabilia the director's daughter, Beatrice Welles, kept for decades in Sedona, Ariz.
NFL Ticket Sales-Lawsuit
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada man who claims an illegal ticket policy kept him from attending San Francisco's NFL playoff game at Seattle in January is suing the league and others for $50 million for alleged "economic discrimination."
John E. Williams III of Las Vegas says in a federal lawsuit against the NFL, the Seahawks, Ticketmaster and others that he was denied a chance to buy tickets to the NFC Championship Game under a sales policy that made them available only in selected markets.
Williams contends the policy was intended to ensure fans of the Seahawks would have an advantage over fans of their rival 49ers in the purchase of tickets for the Jan. 16 matchup at their stadium known for its boisterous, home-field advantage.
The NFL has declined comment on the suit
Shopping-Digital Divide
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new study finds stores that frown on customers using smartphones to shop are making a big mistake.
Deloitte Digital says it found "showrooming," as it's called, actually boosts in-store purchases, contrary to fears that shoppers will make online purchases instead. The rate of in-store purchases surged by 40 percent when shoppers used mobile devices.
Kasey Lobaugh (LOH'-baw), Deloitte's chief retail innovation officer, says the influence of digital interactions on in-store sales "makes the growth of e-commerce pale in comparison."
Deloitte's data show digital interaction using a mobile device influenced $593 billion of in-store retail sales, compared with only $40 billion in "mobile commerce" -- purchases made with the device.
The study found in-store shoppers aren't just price-checking with mobile devices. They're looking for technical details, recommendations and information to make them more confident in their purchases.
But Lobaugh says very few retailers are eager to provide the functionality or the information that in-store shoppers want, and it's costing them business. Deloitte projects digital interactions will influence half of all store sales by the end of this year.
Drone Boom
WASHINGTON (AP) — Forget the North Dakota energy boom. How about a drone boom?
State and federal officials have big hopes for the growth of what are known as unmanned aircraft systems. And experts say North Dakota is well-positioned to take advantage of its attributes. Those include a first-of-its-kind academic program, an established military presence, a financial commitment and favorable airspace conditions.
Ben Gielow is general counsel for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a group that promotes unmanned systems and robotics. He says North Dakota decided years ago to focus on the issue, and is now a leader in drone development.
The push to make North Dakota a drone nexus is expected to progress next month, when the first test flights of an FAA-approved drone research program will take off.
Beatles-Ed Sullivan Memorabilia
NEW YORK (AP) — A large piece of stage backdrop signed by the Beatles during their first live U.S. concert 50 years ago has failed to sell at a New York City auction.
Heritage Auctions spokesman Noah Fleisher said Saturday that the Dallas-based company will now try to privately broker the $800,000, 4-foot-by-2-foot plastic wall section the Fab Four autographed on Feb. 9, 1964.
Other memorabilia items from the Beatles' historic appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" were bought by a high-end collector who asked not to be named.
Those included a signed "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" original fan club poster for $59,375 and a "Beatles Meet the Beatles!" signed stereo LP for $56,250.
Autographs from the Beatles, Ed Sullivan and Brian Epstein from the 1964 performance sold for $125,000.
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