The Second Most Famous Ice Pick on the Auction Block

The first most famous ice pick, arguably, is the one that Sharon Stone wielded in Basic Instinct, the 1992 movie that, aside from a bravura performance by a pre-Newman Wayne Knight, seems every bit as much a footnote to history as the Russian Revolution.

Which brings us to the ice pick of the moment. The AP, via the Wash Times, reports:

One of history's most infamous murder weapons, the mountaineer's ice pick police think was used to kill Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, has resurfaced just weeks before the 65th anniversary of his assassination.

Tests to authenticate the weapon have been delayed by a dispute between the current owner, who might sell it, and Trotsky's grandson, who wants it for his museum -- evidence of the ongoing struggle between socialist ideals and capitalism.

The ice pick is in the hands of Ana Alicia Salas, whose father apparently removed it from an evidence room while serving as a secret police commander in the 1940s. She is considering selling the foot-long mountaineer's ice pick, but hasn't decided on a price.

Trotsky's grandson, who keeps the revolutionary flame alive by maintaining Trotsky's home in Mexico City as a museum, wants the ice pick for his display.

Whole story here.

Trotsky, who fled to Mexico City in 1937 and was killed in August, 1940, remains for many the last best hope of socialism with a human face who would have somehow created a kinder, gentler Soviet Union.

And the inspiration for the band Trotsky Icepick. And one of the more inscrutable lines in music history, from The Stranglers' "No More Heroes," which asked the musical question, "Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?" The answer: "He got an ice pick/That made his ears burn."

How much would you pay for a used ice pick?