As Friedland made each bid, the phone bidder would counter with a bid $5,000 or $10,000 higher.

Friedland dropped out of the competition after the phone bidder countered with a $410,000 bid for the card.

Two unidentified phone bidders toughed it out until it finally went to one of them for $4.2 million.

Two phone bidders fought for the painting, which finally sold for $2.9 million, just shy of its $3 million high estimate.

"Saugus was one of those phone bidders," remarked Happy Jack.

"We had 15 phone bidders on this stamp, which is extraordinary."

Expected to get up to $600,000, the price inflated during a three-way bidding war between two Canadian phone bidders and a person at the auction.

Known to be Parker's primary instrument in the 1950's, it sold for $225,000, to another unidentified phone bidder.

Potential buyers, including phone bidders, will be required to deposit $25,000 cashier's checks.

This never took place, and it sold to a phone bidder for $42,000 (£23,300)(est. $20-25,000).