Collecting

By Harriet Barovick, Tam Gray, Lina Lofaro, Daniel Levy, David Spitz, Flora Tartakovsky and Chris Taylor

MISSED OPPORTUNITY Mme. Chiang Kai-shek, 101, and her family once held sway over China; now her old china's on the block. At an auction of some of her bric-a-brac last week, buyers kept their Jackie fever mostly in check. A bronze automated cathedral clock that was estimated at $8,000 to $12,000 fetched $64,000, and Mme. Chiang's bed went for 16 times its presale estimate. But for $50, someone got her vinyl recliner. And her lazy Susan, priced at $40 to $60, went for just $5. Maybe it wasn't made in Taiwan.