Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully. Meanwhile he had been a second time converted to Catholicism, but his influence at court waned, and he retired from public life in 1605. He survived until 13 October 1629, leaving a "Discours sur l'occurrence des affaires". His son, Achille Harlay de Sancy (1581–1646), was bishop of Saint-Malo. The Sancy diamond's known history began circa 1570 in Constantinople when purchased by de Sancy. Something of a gem connoisseur, de Sancy used his knowledge to prosperous advantage. Henry III of France suffered from premature baldness and tried to conceal this fact by wearing a cap.
Public auction for such a purpose is also called a Sheriff's sale. Real property may be subject to a public auction in order to partition the property between joint tenants who can not agree as to how the property should be divided. An estate sale conducted at the direction of a probate court may also be conducted as a public auction. Public auction A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law