RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. In 1990, a bloodless revolution brought down the Communist government of Mongolia, sparking a transition to capitalism. Mongolia's memorials to Communist heroes were destroyed or sold for scrap. But one 10-foot-tall statue of Lenin still stood. Now, in true capitalist style, it's being auctioned off. Bidding is set to start at 400,000 tugrik. Meaning this piece of Cold War history could go for as little as $290. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.