A four-day auction of more than five hundred items once owned by the Communist leader of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife, Elena, has begun in the capital, Bucharest.

All proceeds from the sale will go to the state.

The Ceausescus were executed by firing squad almost ten years ago during the revolution that ended the communist regime.

Among the items being offered for sale are the Ceausescus' extensive collection of hunting clothes and furs, and their gifts from other world leaders -- including luxury cars from the former French President, Francois Mitterrand, and the former American president, Richard Nixon. The identity of buyers is being kept confidential.