The entire contents of the Central Bank's former home on Dame Street goes under the hammer today in one of the biggest sales in the history of the State.
Dublin antiques dealer Niall Mullen is behind the sale, having secured the tender for the contents after the Central Bank had struggled to shift the goods in their entirety to secure the maximum return for the taxpayer.
There are over 5,000 items from the four-building complex on the block, with 25 articulated lorries required to empty the old brutalist HQ.
Mullen told Newstalk Breakfast that he didn't realise what was in store for him when he took up the opportunity:
"When I started out, I didn't think it would be 25 trucks. I thought seven, nine, 10... But it was just the gift that kept giving.
"I didn't realise that when i took the plunge on this particular project that I was going to be unearthing a story that was going to go into the media and it has been quite incredible how the story has grown over the past week."
Taking pride of place in the collection is a 30 foot table designed by Klimmek-Henderson.
"When one looks at that building from Dame Street, there are nine stories overground and on the seventh floor," Mullen explained. "That's where the boardroom furniture was. It's outstanding furniture; it was all remodelled and redone in 2006.
"The best piece is the boardroom table that came from the seventh floor. It's 35 foot long, it's just outstanding, and the chairs that went around that – there's 22 of them – are Klöber, German-made and just fantastic."
He expects the boardroom table to go for €10,000. As for how much it originally set back the Central Bank 11 years ago?
"As a taxpayer myself – and I'm not obviously open to what they did pay – but if I would speculate I would have said that it cost around €30,000."
"Then on the remaining floors," he continued, "you have various desks of various colours, sizes and styles. So about 1,200 desks, about 800 chairs, all of the kitchen catering, restaurant, all of the photocopiers – everything is for sale today."
Mullen said he has been greeted with a mix of businesses looking for a bargain and people after a piece of history.
"If only the desks and chairs could talk I'm sure they could tell some tale over the last 15 years," he noted.
The Central Bank sold its Dame Street premises for approximately €67 million in January.
The deal struck with real estate giants Hines and Peterson included the bank's tower building and commercial buildings, as well as a number of premises on College Green.
The bank has moved to a new €140m campus on North Wall Quay in the Docklands area.
