Apparently stuff like this happens all the time. I remember a county clerk telling me stories about a lot of next level petty vindictiveness going on at court ordered auctions during divorces. People bidding stuff like dining room chairs and TV's up to thousands of dollars just so their ex-spouse couldn't have them.
Ironically, this was at the court ordered auction of my house during my divorce. An auction that I asked for because my ex kept making completely outlandish claims as to what the house was worth. I won with a bid of $1.00 because I was the only person who showed up. My ex-wife was really pissed when she got her check from the county for $.50.