Diamonds, rubies, gold coins, jewelry, even stacks of silver certificates, were just part of the crime loot that wide-eyed folks in Honolulu made off with yesterday right under the noses of the cops — who not only did nothing to stop it, they nodded in approval and tried to help out.

In all, tens of thousands of dollars worth of items seized in connection with criminal acts was put on the auction block at the Neal Blaisdell Center.

It was part of the state attorney general's quarterly auction of forfeited property. It was standing room only as about 500 people filled the Pikake Room to bid on 189 lots that ranged from cars and laptop computers to big-screen televisions and one never-used deluxe stainless-steel gas grill.

"I've bought a lot of stuff at these things, and I've had real good luck," said Dave Thompson, who has coming to the forfeiture auctions for years for fun and profit. "I've bought jewelry, and I've bought cars. And I've sold in every case. I just look for whatever appeals to me. But I like auctions. They're fun. It's like a scavenger hunt."

Do it long enough and you learn a few tricks: The bidding is lower, and thus the deals are greater, earlier in the auction, Thompson said. "And, the Rolex watches go for too much. Almost always, people overbid on them."

Thompson didn't bid on a 1992 BMW automobile that went for a lower-than-expected bid. Neither did Garry Corwin, standing next to him, although Corwin was moved to exclaim, "Buy it for the parts — they're worth more than the car! The dollar gets weaker and weaker every day."

Thompson said yesterday's crowd was larger than most, and figured that had something to do with the current economic unrest — folks looking to find a steal.

One such person was Michael Freitas of Kalihi, whose $7,500 bid on a bright yellow 2001 Supercharged Nissan Frontier Crew Cab pickup went unchallenged, much to the surprise of most in attendance who appeared to think the final bid would be much higher.

Freitas, a longshoreman and first-timer at the auction, said he'd keep the Nissan for himself and put his old truck on sale for $8,000. His new wheels were so sexy, he said, "I might have to buy a can of wahine repellent."

The money raised goes a long way in the fight against crime, said Kern Nishioka, asset forfeiture program manager for the Office of the Attorney General.

"This stuff is taken out of the hands of criminals, and the money that is generated goes back into law enforcement," Nishioka said. "And then from that, HPD gets their share, the prosecutors get their share and the attorney general's office gets their share. Confiscated guns are destroyed by HPD. Any kind of contraband — gambling machines, drug paraphernalia — all that is destroyed."

What remains can be a dazzling as item No. 76 — a 2.5 carat natural Alexandrite gemstone set in 18 karat white gold.

"This is appraised at $15,750," auctioneer Steve Rosen told the crowd. "Can I get $7,000 for it? Can I get $5,000? It's going to sell up there I'm sure. I just was hoping not to start it at a dollar."

The bidding started at $3,000 and ended at $6,750.

"It's all ill-gotten gains," said Rosen of what ends up on the auction block. As owner of Rosen Auctions, the outfit that has been doing the forfeiture auctions for the joint state and county effort since the 1990s, he has seen just about everything one can imagine. Every auction is different, the items, the people, the bidding.

"We've ranged everywhere from $40,000 to over $200,000 on some of these auctions," he said.

The next quarterly forfeiture auction will take place on Sept. 6, Nishioka said. For more information, visit http://hawaii.gov/ag/ and click on "Auction Information." Around a week before the auction, auction items can be viewed at www.rosenauctions.com.