For which the rich are ready to shell out a fortune: Mark, a bottle of wine, an Egyptian cat and other things

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

We all know that the rich of this world are very fond of unusual, original and, of course, expensive things that are inaccessible to us, ordinary people. And after all, these are not always unique and attractive antiques or luxury items. Sometimes these are the most ordinary little things for which most people would never give an infinite number of zeros. Today we will tell you what exactly was sold for fabulous sums at the most popular auctions around the world.

1. Guiana postage stamp ($ 9.5 million)

Today it is the only documented and known example of such an expensive and at the same time commonplace thing. The origin of this item is shrouded in mystery, it is only known that it was put up for auction from the collection of John Dupont. This brand got to the auction many times, since the distant 1900. And each of its appearance set more and more new records in price. So, it all started with $ 32.5 thousand and ended so far with the largest bet to date, made in 2014 - $ 9.5 million for a small but rather famous postal item.

2. Alt MacDonald ($ 45 million)

Objects of musical art have always been highly prized by collectors and also appreciated. Needless to say, this viola, which was made by the famous Antonio Stradivari in 1719, is today one of the most coveted on the planet. The owner of this piece of art in 1820 became Baron MacDonald, whose relatives later, in 1964, sold the viola to a German recording brand. It was played by Peter Schidlof, a member of the famous Amadeus quartet, which invites collectors around the world to purchase this luxurious instrument. The viola is estimated to be worth at least $ 45 million, which is the starting price for this lot at Sotheby's.

3. Sculpture of an inflatable orange dog by Jeff Koons ($ 58.4 million)

Jeff Koons is the most scandalous and famous sculptor of our time. His works are exhibited on any continent, and those that end up at auctions drive crazy all connoisseurs of the unusual and the beautiful. This cute little dog is part of a series of works that includes five identical dogs of different colors. And today all five are adornments of the collections of the most famous personalities, such as Edie Broad, François Pinault, Dakis Yaon and Stephen Cohen. This work by Jeff was sold in 2013 at Christie's for a fabulous $ 58.4 million - a record price ever for a sculptor.

4. Diamonds and gems ($ 14.5 - $ 83 million)

Gems, especially the favorites of women - diamonds, are very frequent guests in auction houses. For example, a stone called "The Pink Earl", which weighed 24.7 carats, was previously part of the Harry Winston collection. It got its name, passing to the new owner Lawrence Graff, who, in fact, brought it to the Sotheby`s auction in 2010. There, this charming emerald-cut pebble was sold for $ 46.3 million.

Another no less precious stone is the "Pink Star", which has an interesting and confusing history. In 2014, it was put up for auction at Sotheby`s and was valued there at as much as $ 83 million. However, after its owner Isaac Wolf improved his financial situation, the auction house refused to sell the stone and returned it to its collection, valuing the stone at 72 million.

It is worth mentioning a small but extremely rare orange diamond, which could boast a weight of almost fifteen carats. He exhibited all at the same Sotheby`s under the name "Orange", which is quite consistent with him. This pebble was sold for 36 million.

An auction house like Christie's boasts the sale of incredible jewelry, especially blue diamonds. So, the most famous of them is "Blue Winston", which went under the hammer for 24, 3 million and had an incredible size - more than one hundred carats. Another equally famous gem from this auction is the "Bright Yellow Earl". This impressive brilliant diamond weighed over a hundred carats and sold for $ 14.5 million. In addition, Christie's were noted in history with the transparent diamond "Golconda", which in 2013 went under the hammer for $ 30.8 million.

5. Multifunctional Graves watch ($ 11 million)

The situation with the world's most expensive watch is exactly the same as with one of the pink diamonds. This watch was collected in 1933 by the famous watchmaker Patek Philippe for a banker named Henry Graves. The work on the watch lasted no less than six years. This model won a small competition between Henry Graves and James Packard, who aimed to create the most sophisticated and multifunctional watch of the time. Therefore, it is not surprising that the watch includes a lot of interesting devices that help to measure the phases of the moon, sunrise and sunset, as well as display a complete sky map of Manhattan.

In 1999, this model was acquired by an unknown buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, for $ 11 million. But just recently, the watch returned to the Sotheby`s auction house as payment for a multimillion-dollar debt of one of the Arab sheikhs named Saud Ali Al-Thani.

6. Rosewood pedestal table top ($ 9 million)

This wood product was put up for auction due to the fact that it was created from a rare and unique material called huangauli. In Chinese it means "yellow pear", but in fact this tree species is pink, has a soft surface and a slightly perceptible, delicate smell. Furniture made of this tree, as a rule, was created during the reign of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and therefore, when the popularity of Asian cultures skyrocketed, this nondescript-looking tabletop with modest parameters (only 4 meters) was sold at Christie`s auction for 9 million green.

7. Cycladic marble figurine and Egyptian cat ($ 48 million and $ 16 million)

Figurines and various ancient figurines are also held in high esteem by collectors. For example, a marble statuette from the Cyclades, which has graceful shapes and clear details, dates back to 2400 BC, and, according to experts, was created somewhere in the Aegean Islands. In 2010, it went to auction, where it was sold for $ 48 million, despite the fact that it was estimated at only 16 million.

Another interesting figurine that has ever been put up for auction is a small bronze cat figurine. She is originally from Egypt, and in 2013 was sold at Christie's auction for a record 16 million green. Interestingly, it was estimated at only two million.

8. Bottles of wines and entire wine collections ($ 310,700 - $ 1, 1 million)

Both of the aforementioned auction houses often compete with each other for records in the field of winemaking. For example, Sotheby's sold the most expensive bottle of this drink - "Chateau Mouton Rothschild" bottled in 1945. Appreciated and sold in 2007 for a fabulous $ 310,700. Keeping up with its rival, Christie's sold the most expensive wine case, the 1978 Romani-Conti, for about $ 476,000. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the most expensive wine batch that went under the hammer at Sotheby's. She became 50 cases of wine "Château Mouton Rothschild" in 1982, which were estimated at a total of 1.1 million dollars.

9. Leather chair by Eileen Gray ($ 28 million)

At many auctions, things with a story are most valued, especially if this story is at least somewhat romantic. The author of this chair is an Irish craftswoman named Eileen, who made it for her lover from natural leather, wood and shiny varnish. A representative of the craftswoman herself sold this chair to Yves Saint Laurent himself, which gave it to his beloved Pierre Berger. After the famous designer died, this chair, as a symbol of incredible and strong love, was transferred to the auction house Christie`s, where it was auctioned off in 2009 for a record $ 28 million for furniture.

10. Painting "October on Cape Cod" by Edward Hopper ($ 9.6 million)

It is no secret that sometimes it is the pictures, strange and incomprehensible to our worldview, that beat all records in prices. So it is in this case. It would seem that an unremarkable drawing that any child could create was painted in oil in 1946 by the famous artist Edward Hopper. In 2012, the painting falls into the hands of Christie's auction, where it is sold for an insane 9.6 million green.

11. Digital photo "Rhine 2" by Andreas Gursky ($ 4.8 million)

It is noteworthy that digital photos, created using modern and widespread technology, also often flash at auctions and raise the bar of their prices to unprecedented heights. Likewise, this photo, which set the tone for all other digital work, and became the world record holder for price. Created by artisan Andreas Gursky, it depicts a simple natural landscape, which, however, did not prevent it from being auctioned off at Christie's in 2011 for $ 4.8 million.

12. Carpet with a leafy-sickle pattern ($ 33.7 million)

This carpet ended up in the Corcoran art gallery, which was able to take possession of it as part of the inheritance of the wealthy William Clarke, who was popular in 1925. He was widely known for his enormous fortune, which he amassed through investments in banking, mining and railroad businesses. The very same carpet, according to experts, was made in 1700 in the province of Kerman, which today is part of a state like Iran. Such a cute rug was sold in 2013 at Sotheby's for, you can imagine, $ 33.7 million.

13. Massachusetts Psalms and the Leicester Code ($ 14.1 million and $ 30.8 million)

Believe it or not, it is not only pieces of musical art and diamonds that can break real records for prices at auction. Rare and ancient books of this are also a vivid example. One of these is the Massachusetts Psalms, which dates back to 1640. Its peculiarity is that it is the first printed edition that came out in the colonies. Such a unique work in 2013 at Sotheby`s was sold for $ 14, 1 million. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the most expensive manuscript in our time. It was a book called Lester's Code, which belonged to Leonardo da Vinci himself. This bundle of sheets is part of his work diary, in which he kept all his ideas and ideas. And it was sold in 1994 to Bill Gates himself for $ 30.8 million.

As it turned out, auctions sell not only jewelry and luxury items, which were once worn by famous personalities. So, for example, Queen Victoria's pantaloons went for an impressive amount, and Princess Leia's bikini from Star Wars was sold at all with a pleasant bonus for the buyer.