With an eye on its eventual demolition, the city plans to begin seeking bids Monday from companies that want to handle the sale of seats, signs and other memorabilia from Tiger Stadium.

It's not yet known what exactly will be sold from the 94-year-old stadium or for how much, but the sale is likely to take place in the spring, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday. Bids for memorabilia will be taken through an Internet auction, with buyers picking up their purchases at a warehouse that will be leased for the sale.

An online catalog will be set up before the sale. Part of the job of the asset-disposition company the city will eventually hire will be to decide what can salvaged and sold.

"We clearly understand how important and precious Tiger Stadium is to everyone, and we want to give everybody a shot to get something," said Peter Zeiler, special projects manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

He said officials hope to select a winning company in January. The City Council would have to approve a final plan.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in June announced plans to demolish the former home of the Detroit Tigers to make way for homes and stores under a plan that will save parts of the field and the stadium itself. Officials have said the project will include 150 to 300 homes and 20,000 to 40,000 square feet of retail space.

The city hopes to use proceeds from the auction to defray the costs of demolition, which have been pegged at anywhere from $2 million to $6 million.

The Tigers began playing at the stadium in 1912. The team left following the 1999 season to move into newly built Comerica Park, about a mile away.

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