Auction News Network

‘Out Of Africa’ Airplane To Be Sold

Soaring above the Kenyan savannah, it was featured in some of the most beautiful and romantic aerial footage ever filmed. Now the 1929 De Havilland Gypsy Moth biplane that Robert Redford’s character Denys Finch Hatton piloted in the 1985 Oscar-winning blockbuster,  ‘Out of Africa,’ will star again, this time at Bonhams’ Retromobile auction in Paris, when its price is expected to climb beyond $180,000.

Beckham’s Speedboat From Olympic Ceremonies To Sell

Of the numerous creative touches at the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics this past summer, probably the most popular was the Queen’s appearance as a skydiving partner to 007 actor Daniel Craig. Only a bit less attention-getting, however, was the entrance of  soccer star David Beckham, who piloted a speedboat carrying the Olympic flame on the last leg of its journey down the Thames. Now Bonhams has announced that it will auction the boat, a 2008 Bladerunner BR RIB 35, at its Brooklands sale on December 3^rd. The cost to its new pilot is expected to be around $403,000.

Rare WWI Distinquished Flying Cross In New Zealand Auction

In 1918 Britain introduced the Distinguished Flying Cross, honoring exceptional bravery shown by pilots of the Commonwealth during World War I. Only a few New Zealanders earned the award. Lt. Samuel Dawson received his in 1918 for a bombing raid under “severe enemy fire” off the coast of Schleswig. Webb’s of New Zealand will offer Dawson’s DFC, along with several other medals he earned, in an auction on August 11.

$2.9m For Soviet Spacecraft

A Russian buyer paid $2.9 million today at Sotheby’s for a 1961 Soviet space capsule. It was a record price for a space ship, but considerably less than the stratospheric $10m high estimate the craft had carried into the sale. Sotheby’s timed the New York auction of the Vostok capsule to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s mission, the first manned journey into space.

Launch&Recovery of Space Capsule

Sotheby’s posted archival Russian film of the launch and recovery of the space capsule that proved to the cosmonuats they could orbit the earth and make it back alive. As reported earlier, the 7-foot aluminum capsule, Vostok 3ka-2, will be auctioned April 12 in New York. The guessestimate is $2–$10 Million.

Used Space Capsule, Anyone?

Just as America’s space program is winding down, the value of space-related collectibles is taking off. Earlier we reported on a Bonhams’auction commemorating the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned mission in space. Not to be outdone, on April 12th Sotheby’s is having a space related auction of its own, featuring a 1961 Soviet space capsule estimated at $2-$10 million.

Spacesuits & Such At Bonhams

It’s been 50 years since astronaut Alan Shepard blasted off on Freedom 7, becoming the first American in space.  To commemorate the flight, Bonhams is staging a Space History sale on May 5, when a variety of unusual items will be offered, including a spacesuit worn by Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. It’s estimated at $100-$150,000.

“Goldfinger” Aston Martin Sells for $4.6 Million

A Cincinnati car collector snagged James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for $4.61 million at RM’s Automobiles of London sale yesterday. It was a bit shy of the more than $5 million that the auction house had anticipated for what it had billed “the most famous car in the world.” RM wouldn’t comment on a rumor that it had turned down a pre-sale offer of $5.5 million for the “Goldfinger” coupe.

More James Bond At RM

Few who saw “Goldfinger” could forget pilot Pussy Galore and her helicopter, a 1960 Hiller UH-12 E4. The chopper, now restored,  has joined RM’s lineup for its Automobiles of London sale on October 27. It’s expected to sell for up to $650,000.

The helicopter joins the sale’s highlight, the Aston Martin DB5 driven by actor Sean Connery in “Goldfinger,” on which we reported earlier. And there’s yet another offering from the 007 films, a 1998 Jaguar XKR, complete with weaponry, which appeared in “Die Another Day.”

Read more at James List.