Why voyage dangerously into the Amazon in search of new animal species when you can stay in the comfort of your living room and simply bid for the rights to name a new butterfly yourself? That's exactly what happened last week, when the Florida Museum of Natural History and iGavel auctioned off the right to name a new species of butterfly that was discovered earlier this year by a couple of researchers from the University of Florida.

Male

Female

While many biologists would relish this chance of enduring renown, George Austin and Andrew Warren selflessly opted to auction the naming rights of the vividly colored species of owl butterfly to raise money for continued research on Mexican butterflies. The name, which has yet to be announced, fetched $34,000. It's a relatively low price for immortality, even in biology textbooks.

--David Coggins

It's easy to forget that eBay hasn't always been the only game around to find vast collections of random objects. Jackson's, the Iowa-based auctioneer which was founded in 1969, operates under the inclusive motto: "The world is our market." On November 6 and 7 they're selling off lots of everything from German World War II firearms, to William Faulkner first editions, to Confederate currency.

German firearms from World War II

You can set off your collection of masterpieces with a painting of a bouquet of flowers by Gaston Marcel Lecreux, a French artist you've likely never heard of. Or you can bid on one of the 175,000 post cards. If you'd like to get a glimpse of these lots in person, feel free to stop by Jacksons--they're only a mile away from Waterloo Municipal Airport.  How many auctioneers can claim that?

--David Coggins