The remains of an unknown Civil War solider, including buckles, a coin, and pieces of a jaw bone with 11 teeth in place were destined for the auction block until uproar by Civil War associations, veterans and government officials prompted J. C. Devine auction house to remove the listing from its October 16th auction. State officials said the remains were of a New York resident who had been buried in an unmarked Virginia grave.

A leader of a Civil War gravesite said the bones should receive a military funeral, but the owner of the bones, Judy Albert of Lawsville, PA, would not say what will happen to them, according to an article in the Nashua Telegraph, calling them "personal property." The bones were part of a large collection of Civil War memorabilia owned by her late husband Ron.

While I was absolutely shocked to discover that someone would auction off human bones, it actually appears to be pretty common practice. This January 2000 article from Maine Antique Digest discusses the active market for human and animal bones in great detail. According to comments in the article by Maryland antiques dealer Todd Hughes, people are fascinated with bones. "Bones are neat because they're more or less permanent. The person is dead and gone, but the bones will last thousands of years if taken care of. And they're interesting to look at too."

Human bones can also be found for sale at Maxilla and Mandible in New York City, the Bone Room and, sometimes, on Ebay.