Stripper poles, a cherry red-lined coffin and a velociraptor are among the many bizarre, gaudy items set for auction that decorated two mansions once owned by a former South Florida developer.
The items are all part of the former estate of South Beach developer and playboy Thomas Kramer, 60, which will be sold off in one package to the highest bidder on February 14, according to The Miami Herald.
The ‘Sheriff’s Sale’ auction comes on the heels of the seizure of Kramer’s Star Island, Florida mansions – the result of a judgment his former in-laws obtained against him. Kramer’s extravagant South Beach lifestyle was fueled by the millions given him by his former father-in-law Siegfried Otto, a now-deceased German businessman.
More than 760 items, including this dining room table with attached stripper poles, inside a pair of Miami mansions formerly belonging to South Beach developer and playboy Thomas Kramer, 60, are being sold off at auction on February 14
Bottles of wine and a life-size statue of a drunk monk are included in the Kramer auction lot
Kramer has not lived at the Miami mansions in the last five years. He is currently in Switzerland with is girlfriend, Diana Langes-Swarovski, a descendant of the renowned crystal makers
After Kramer lost the legal battle, he had to give up the mansions and all the possession inside, save for his personal photos.
The usual household accouterments – flat-screen TVs, high-end furniture, multiple mirrors, dozens of bottles of wine and lush rugs – are accounted for in the more than 760 items that make up the auction lot.
Other items that are up for auction are eyebrow raisers.
There’s a king-size bed that comes complete with chrome rings on the bedposts suitable for indulging in bondage activities and a dining room table with two stripper poles affixed to it. Topless women appear in a multitude of paintings, while an eight foot by 10 foot mural features muscular men in loincloths and a horse.
There’s also life-sized Alien and Predator movie character statues, a statue of a drunk monk and a rhinoceros sculpture. Kramer’s personal crest, a grey shield emblazoned with a minotaur’s head, has been liberally applied to books, office equipment and even a large painting.
Creditors foreclosed and seized Kramer’s mansions following a court battle that led to a Swiss court ruling in favor of Kramer’s former father-in-law’s estate, saddling Kramer with a $200million judgement that a US court said could be enforced in Miami
Kramer’s possessions up for auction include life-size Alien and Predator statues
Kramer is said to have purchased the coffin (back) when he was in a depressed mood
Additionally, pig-themed figurines – including piggy banks and pigs with angel wings – and paintings abound.
The aforementioned coffin, which rests on the second floor of one of the mansion’s garages, is lined with cherry red cushions and is said to have been purchased when Kramer was depressed.
All of the items up for auction are housed in a pair of Mediterranean-style mansions that have been painted red. Both the 8,162 square foot, four bedroom mansion on 4 Star Island and the 11,980 square foot, 11 bedroom mansion on 5 Star Island are up for sale as well.
The mass auction of Kramer’s home furnishing will wrap up the 20 year period of Kramer’s life in which he lost his considerable fortune and his reputation as a shrewd businessman.
Once, Kramer, a German-born former commodities trader, was considered a notable South Beach developer. He’d made and lost a fortune on Wall Street, before heading down to Miami Beach and buying property south of Fifth Street at a time when it was plagued by crime. He also helped turn around the area by constructing the Portofino Tower, which opened in 1997.
Kramer’s party hard lifestyle led to numerous problems, however, including multiple rape accusations and an accusation that he had inappropriately touched a 13-year-old boy. Once, Kramer was charged with punching a restaurant owner who’d merely asked him to extinguish his cigar while dining.
Although he wasn’t convicted of that charge – or in any of the accusations – Kramer did land in legal trouble over the money that he had used to invest in South Beach real estate.
The auction lot includes familiar mansion accouterments, such as gym equipment, but also features eyebrow raising items like a bed with bondage-ready rings embedded in the bedposts
The house’s decoration includes a variety of pig-themed imagery, like these pig paintings
Among Kramer’s bizarre collection of personal property is this velociraptor statue
Kramer claimed that the millions he spent were a gift from Otto, his former father-in-law, but Otto’s relatives said the money had been a loan.
The Swiss courts agreed with Otto’s kin and ruled that the money was a loan, saddling Kramer with a $200million judgement, which a Miami-Dade civil court judge then ruled could be enforced within the US, resulting in creditors foreclosing on the two mansions and seizing Kramer’s possessions.
Kramer hadn’t lived in either of the houses for the past five years.
When reached in Switzerland, at the St. Mortiz resort, Kramer told the Miami Herald that he ‘closed the chapter Star Island and all the clutter connected with it’ following the Swiss courts’ ruling in 2012.
He added that he had no regrets about his time in Miami, but that he now lives a life with ‘less parties, less bills, less fights, less controversial court cases’ and is in a relationship with Diana Langes-Swarovski, a descendant of the crystal company and an owner of an Austrian soccer team.
Members of the public are invited to view the auction items at the 4 and 5 Star Island houses on February 13. Bids will be accepted beginning at 11am on February 14.