Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - November 17, 2009
The Christie's auction of items ranging from chandeliers to paperweights is being held in the Marigny theatre near the Champs Elysees.
Yves Saint Laurent died of cancer aged 71 in June 2008.
The four-day auction is expected to raise up to 4m euros (ú3.6m), which Mr Berge has pledged to HIV/Aids research.
But the amount will pale in comparison with the 342m euros raised in a February auction of 700 pieces from the couple's art collection - billed as the biggest private art sale in history.
Items under the hammer in Paris this week include a 19th Century Dutch brass chandelier worth 30,000 euros and a Fernand Leger painting with an estimated value of up to 70,000 euros.
The late designer's billiard table, S-class Mercedes-Benz and Hermes crocodile leather suitcases are also up for sale.
In the slightly more affordable category are a paperweight valued at around 30 euros and a pair of porcelain plates which are expected to fetch 50-80 euros.
Mr Berge, 78, an arts patron, decided to sell the items - gathered from the couple's lavish homes in Morocco, Paris and Normandy - after his partner's death.
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