# Brooklyn Bridge for sale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 22, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980 "2007-06-22T11:57:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/1 "2007-06-22T11:57:45Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbrooklynbridge.htm](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbrooklynbridge.htm) I don’t know if anyone ever bought the bridge, but certainly conmen have sold national monuments. For example, [Victor Lustig](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig) sold the Eiffel Tower. The trick is, you don’t try to sell the bridge to any passing millionaire. You pose as a civil servant, make a story that the structure has to be demolished, or renovated, tell scrap metal dealers/ demolision firms/ builders that YOU, as senior civil servant will be the one to choose the firm to carry out the work. Then you allow them to bribe you. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/2 "2007-06-22T12:33:38Z")
Well, they did manage to sell London Bridge, but that was legit, although didn’t the people who bought it believe they were buying Tower Bridge, a far more distinctive landmark? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/3 "2007-06-22T15:05:04Z")
Since this is a comment on a Staff Report and not one of Cecil’s columns, I’ll move this thread to the appropriate forum. bibliophage moderator CCC ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/4 "2007-06-22T15:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] [Lustig](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig) [/QUOTE] Funny name. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/5 "2007-06-23T01:34:00Z")
George Parker may have indeed sold the Brooklyn Bridge. **Gfactor** characterizes Mr. Parker as a, “professional BSer” (true) and notes that these claims, “involved events that had taken place long before”. [The Big Book of Hoaxes](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Hoaxes-Greatest-Factoid/dp/1563892529/ref=sr_1_1/104-1020450-1882354?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182560578&sr=8-1) says otherwise. A contribution written by Carl Sifakis and illustrated by Fray Morrow states the following: > [@](#): > > In 1928 Parker sold the Brooklyn Bridge to three Texans who discovered they’d been scammed by reading about one of Parker’s previous frauds. Parker was lucky that all the Texans did was get him arrested. But with three previous convictions, he was considered an habitual criminal, and drew a life sentence. > > Still Parker’s last nine years were not unhappy ones. Both guards and inmates enjoyed stories of his capers. Now, that book relies entirely on secondary sources. A hunt through the NYT’s archives produces a [2 paragraph news item](http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0611F93558167A93C2AA178DD85F4C8285F9&oref=slogin) regarding Mr. Parker’s arrest in 1928. So far so good. Unfortunately, it does not mention any public landmarks: > [@](#): > > **Alleged Confidence Operator Is Arrested in Asbury Park.** > _Special to The New York Times._ > > ASBURY PARK, N.J., June 29.-- George Parker, who had long been sought by the police as a confidence man, was arrested here today on a warrant charging forgery on complaint of John Tunnio of 1,295 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. Detectives said Parker is under indictment on a charge of larceny and three counts of forgery. > Parker said his arrest was a mistake. He will be arraigned before a police magistrate tomorrow and probably will be remanded to the county jail at Freehold pending extradition to New York. The NYT’s search engine can be wonky at times. [This site](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/buy_sell_the_brooklyn_bridge/) relates the following Dec 18, 1928 article: > [@](#): > > 18 December 1928, New York Times, pg. 33: > _FORGER GETS LIFE TERM._ > _G. C. Parker, Confidence Man_ > _Once “Sold” Brooklyn Bridge._ > George C. Parker, 58 years old, said by the police to be an old-time confidence man, was sentenced to Sing Sing for life by Judge McLaughlin in the Kings County Court yesterday. (…) > His early exploits are said to have included the “sale” of the Brooklyn Bridge… Note the phrase “early exploits”. Still, I’d like to read the remainder of that article. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/6 "2007-06-23T02:08:46Z")
Everything I found, including the Big Book of Hoaxes relies primarily on the NYT stories, which in turn speak of what his “early exploits” are “said” to be. That’s just not much to go on. Definitely possible that McCloundy or Parker sold it; equally possible they didn’t. That’s why I said it depends who you ask. I’ve read all of the NYT articles, btw, although it was a while back. There’s not much more to them. This artricle, from the references, is a good summary of the evidence: > **[For You, Half Price (Published 2005)](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/nyregion/thecity/for-you-half-price.html)** > > THE year is 1899, and a saucy con artist named Peaches O'Day is trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. She succeeds, too, passing it off to a gullible fellow who pays her $200 and receives a bill of sale reading, ''One bridge in good condition.'' As... ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980/7 "2007-06-26T15:09:37Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Well, they did manage to sell London Bridge, but that was legit, although didn’t the people who bought it believe they were buying Tower Bridge, a far more distinctive landmark? [/QUOTE] Apparently that one might be an urban legend, if you believe the person who actually bought it - although that might be face-saving denial.