Via Ebay.

In August, word came that the historic Georgetown restaurant The Guards would close for good.

“It’s just my decision not to sign a new lease,” owner Hossein Shirvani told the Washington Post. “We need to pass on the torch. You know what I mean? We need to get new blood in there.”

Said new blood will come from Ben Kirane, and Moe and Joe Idrissi, who will open Italian restaurant Rialto in the space next week. But before they do, there’s some old business to take care of: Namely, The Guards’ sign, which the new owners are auctioning off on Ebay.

“There’s a lot of history at The Guards, which from what I have heard was once the playground of celebrities and politicians alike, and we’ve quickly come to realize that the sign is sentimental to many locals,” Kirane said in a release.

How much in sentimentality worth? The auction’s starting bid is $10,000, which seems like a bargain when you consider Elton John once offered to pay $100,000 for a fireplace mantel. From the Post:

One of Shirvani’s best memories is the night that Elton John came to the downstairs Griffin Room and caught a glimpse of the massive fireplace mantel hard-carved to look like a griffin. “He fell in love with that piece,” Shirvani remembers. “He said, ‘I’ll give you $100,000 for that piece.’” The owner declined the offer.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the D.C. Central Kitchen. The auction ends on September 26, the same day Rialto opens.