New York subway signs and seats draw sale crowds

New York subway signs, seats and other transit memorabilia drew crowds to an annual public sale in south Brooklyn organised by city authorities.

Shoppers waited for hours to search the open-air market, where each person was given up to 45 minutes to look through items before others were allowed in.

Prices included around $500 for a medium-sized sign, more than $1,000 for some larger signs and around $900 for the subway's orange plastic seats. Retired MetroCards sold for $6.

Paul Dvoskin, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority official in charge of the programme, said the authority had always resold signs to collectors but more recently opened sales to the public. He said the event draws around 4,000 people each year.

Filmmaker and New York resident Spike Lee was among the shoppers, posing for pictures and showing a metal sign marked "Penn Station".