A very controversial item related to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is coming to the auction block. Alexander Historical Auctions is selling a “little black book” once belonging to Epstein. This book, bound in plastic and spanning 64 pages, is poised to shed new light on Epstein’s extensive network of contacts and connections. The names of two presidential candidates appear in Epstein’s book: former President Donald Trump and Robert Kennedy Jr., according to the auction house.
The book itself is a fascinating glimpse into Epstein’s inner circle, containing a total of 386 printed entries alongside two handwritten additions on the final page. Each entry serves as a portal into Epstein’s world, featuring the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of individuals from various walks of life. From finance and politics to entertainment and fashion, the book spans a diverse array of industries and professions.
“Additionally, 94 names bear black, hand-applied checkmarks, and five have been highlighted in yellow,” Alexander Historical Auctions says in its description lot. “All five names, including that of Donald Trump, are well-recognized financial and industrial figures. The significance of the checked and highlighted names is unknown. The details included in the vast majority of the entries are most extensive: Epstein not only includes the name, address and telephone number of his contact, but in most cases also adds other residential addresses and numbers, contact information for family members, secretaries, immediate employees, and associates of the individual, cell phone and pager numbers, and in at least one instance, a contact’s girl friend’s number.”
Delving deeper, the book offers hints of Epstein’s controversial and sordid past. The very first entry, for instance, includes contact information for the front desk and apartment numbers linked to residences maintained by Epstein for various purposes. Additionally, entries under categories like “Masseuse/Masseur” and “Exercise people” provide further insight into Epstein’s lifestyle and associations.
Bill Panagopulos, owner of Alexander Historical Auctions, tells The Daily Beast he estimates the Epstein black book will sell for hundreds of thousands.
“There are no comparables for the sale of this kind of relic. But, based on my experience, if I’m pressed to offer a price I would think it would be $100,000 to $200,000, and up,” says Panagopulos to The Daily Beast.
Somehow, Epstein’s book was discovered on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk in New York City in the mid-1990s.
“She eventually put it in storage and it was not until 2020 while cleaning out her storage unit that she realized it belonged to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. She reached out to several media outlets who failed to react. Assuming that the book was a copy, she listed it on eBay where it was purchased by a graduate student in the Northeast who has possessed it ever since,” reads the book’s description lot.
Journalists at Business Insider took it upon themselves to subject the book to forensic analysis, confirming its authenticity. Subsequent calls to individuals listed within the book elicited a range of responses, from incredulity to candid admissions about their ties to Epstein.
“A later ca. 2004 Epstein ‘black book’ was discovered by the FBI and used in legal proceedings, but this copy, which came to light after Epstein’s death, was not considered of evidentiary importance at the time of its discovery,” the description lot reads. “According to Business Insider, of the 1,731 names contained in the two volumes together, 221 appear in our earlier book but do not appear in the ca. 2004 book.”
Despite the sensational nature of its contents, the auction house is quick to clarify that inclusion in the book does not imply any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities. Instead, it serves as a historical artifact of sorts, offering a window into the world of one of modern history’s most notorious figures.
Panagopulos tells The Daily Beast the auction house will not publish any of the address or phone numbers within the book, but whoever ends up buying the item can essentially do what they want with it.
“They can probably publish it. It’s not copyright,” Panagopulos explained to The Daily Beast. “But if somebody wants this thing to disappear, then they have a chance to buy it privately. I don’t care if they burn it, if they send it into space, if they freeze it in liquid nitrogen and break it into a thousand pieces with a hammer. I don’t care what they do with it!”
The auction kicks off with a sealed bid process from May 15 to June 15. Should the initial round fail to yield a satisfactory bid, the book will then be offered at public auction in mid-July.
Epstein died by suicide after hanging himself inside his jail cell in August 2019. His death came a month after he was arrested on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
What are your thoughts about Epstein’s “little black book” being auctioned? Let us know in the comments below.