For such items as these to be carried around in bags rather than packed properly to avoid damage is ludicrous. In one scene they take the wildly expensive "madonna" and slide it into a wooden box without using as much as a sheet of packing paper.
As with other examples of weak story elements, Whitehead says that his professional life involves an extremely exclusive and pampered lifestyle. No doubt this was the cause of much laughter and derision on the part of other New York police detectives.
Whitehead would not be so foolish as to simply take a cruise ship. As with many aspects of this story, the suspension of disbelief is clearly missing.
At the auction, one bidder bids $100,000. A subsequent bid is placed for $110,000, at which point the auctioneer looks at the first bidder, who shakes his head. The auctioneer then announces a sale for $100,000. Since the high bid was $110,000 he announced the incorrect amount.