At Estates of the Fabulously Rich, Gilded Era Is Going, Going, Gone

At Estates of the Fabulously Rich, Gilded Era Is Going, Going, Gone

Richard and Amanda Peacock spent five years building their dream home, a 10,000-square-foot, orange mansion overlooking the ocean here. They filled it with leopard-skin chairs, pinball machines, antique Coca-Cola signs and six sports cars. It had a room full of 100 hunting trophies — including a hyena and the head of an elephant — and an aviary out back housing eight rare parrots.

On a recent Saturday, they held a one-day auction to try to sell it all.

“Four million, do I hear four and a half?” shouted auctioneer Dean Kruse, as he took bids for the mansion. “Come on, people — the good Lord stopped making oceanfront property a long time ago.”