Auction News Network

Where Royals Walked

It isn’t the most valuable carpet that Bonham’s will be offering at its April sale in Knightsbridge.  It may, however, have the most interesting pedigree, having once graced the floor of Windsor Castle.

Every Coin A Snowflake?

Dimes may be dimes, but it turns out that every coin has its unique characteristics – a “fingerprint” that identifies and distinguishes it from all others. Now the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) has announced a new laser scanning method that will document what sets each coin apart.

“Million Dollar Lugar” Misfires

What’s the rarest gun in the world? Lugar enthusiasts would pick a pistol knows as the “Million Dollar Lugar,”  an ultra-rare handgun of which only two were made. This week, at Greg Martin Auctions in Anaheim, it fetched considerably less than its name might suggest.

Revolutionary War Gloom

During the Revolutionary War, British Generals and diplomats sent back glowing reports about Britain’s military superiority. In private letters, however, they expressed grave doubts, recorded in eighty documents to be sold next month at Sotheby’s.

Investors Turn To Watches

A hedge fund devoted to timepieces? It’s just one of the strategies emerging now as investors and niche collectors turn increasingly to classic and rare watches.

Christie’s Prevails in Contest to Offer Rare Art Collection

Following a four-month battle with Sotheby’s, Christie’s has won its bid to auction the $150 million art collection of Los Angles philanthropist Francis Lasker Brody.

Voisin Rules at Amelia Island Concours

Record prices, crowded auctions, and stellar offering of rare vintage automobiles made recession talk scarce at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida this past weekend.

Hong Kong Shines

Sotheby’s choice of Hong Kong for its auction of a 5.16-carat blue diamond places a new emphasis on the Asian capitol as a lucrative center of the international jewelry market.

Instant Thrill to Bankruptcy

Polaroid once handed out cameras and equipment to leading artists. They got them, by the thousands. Now a court has ordered Polaroid to sell.

Rare Ferraris Detour From Auction

A Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, sold last year by Canadian based RM Auctions for $12.1 million, still retains the crown for any car bought at auction. It is far, however, from the highest price paid for an automobile. Earlier this year a Ferrari 250GT fetched $28 million in a private sale, and now RM Auctions is offering another Ferrari 250 for $20 million. Private sales in the first two months of this year alone have exceeded $117 million, as collectors bypass the auction block.

Read more at Bloomberg News.