A weekend excursion to New York City -- billed as a way to help reinvigorate a city that needs its tourists back -- attracted the highest number of bids (18) and the biggest single price ($575). It was donated by David Wallis of featurewell.com.

The auction, held during this year’s convention in Chicago, raised $5,715. The money will help pay for minority fellows at future conventions.

AASFE members and friends came through with about 150 items, and convention goers game through with plenty of bids. It made some eclectic shopping: original comic strips, framed photographs, posters, books, and of course the ever-popular array of tote bags, T-shirts and mugs. But many of the high-bid items involved opportunities. Four journalism experts donated their time for workshops, raising$1,000. Vacation experiences (such as the New York City trip) raised $1,645.

Dan Norman of the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel returned to the role of auction emcee.

A review of the items that attracted the most bids offers a valuable insight into what makes a features editor spend money:

Beer: A "99 bottles of beer" poster, donated by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Bears: A framed photo of a bear, donated by the Los Angeles Time.

Vintage journalism: From the New York Times’ photo archives, a vintage photo of photojournalists, donated by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group.

Vintage Motown: A set of 3 vintage photos of Motown legends -- Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Aretha Franklin -- donated by the Detroit News.

The beach: A duffle bag, beach towel, soda holder, sunglasses and cap donated by Florida Today.

Charlie Brown: A collection of "Peanuts" memorabilia, donated by United Media.