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NO Skull and Bones

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Written by The Associated Press   
Saturday, 23 January 2010 04:22

The 1872 ballot box belonging to Yale's secretive Skull and Bones Society that was being offered for sale at Christie's New York City auction house. The ballot box, in the form of a skull and cross bones, was going to be sold on Jan. 22 for an estimated $10,000 to $20,000. AP Photo/Christie's.

NEW YORK, NY (AP).-A New York City auction house says a human skull that had been used as a ballot box by Yale's elite Skull and Bones Society has been withdrawn from sale.Christie'ssaid Friday that the 19th century skull was being removed from the Jan. 22 sale due to a title claim. The auction house declined further comment.The skull had been expected to sell for $10,000 to $20,000. Christie's only identified the seller as a European art collector.

The skull is fitted with a hinged flap and is believed to have been used during voting at the mysterious society's meetings. The club was founded in 1832 and publicly known members, called Bonesmen, include both presidents Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

Skull and Bones, a secret societyat Yale University, was founded in 1832. Until 1971, the organization published annual membership rosters, which were kept at Yale's library. In this list of notable Bonesmen, the number in parentheses represents the cohort year of Skull and Bones, as well as their graduation year.

There are no official rosters published after 1982. Membership for later years is highly speculative. Some conspiracy theorists theorize them to be a power elite

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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