J.M. “Martin” Rawls held the first wholesale auto auction
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History of Auctioneering
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The most expensive chess piece sold at auction is an attributed “Lewis Chessmen” piece, which sold for $930,415 (£735,000; €821,769), auctioned by Sotheby’s in London, UK, on 2 July 2019.
The well known Lewis chess pieces originate from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. The chess piece was discovered in a sand dune on Lewis in 1831 and was sold to an Edinburgh family in 1964 for £5.
It was cherished by the family for years until they realised the piece was a rare walrus ivory chess piece.
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The most expensive dinosaur bones sold at auction is a stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed Apex which sold for $44.6 million (£34.4 million / €40.9 million), including buyer’s premium, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City, USA, on 17 July 2024.
The 3.4 m tall and 8.2 m long (11 ft X 27 ft) skeleton was discovered in Dinosaur, Colorado in 2022. Seven buyers reportedly took part in the bidding process, with the winning bid made by an anonymous buyer.
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The most expensive cricket bat sold at auction is the bat used by Sir Donald Bradman to hit a triple century in the 1934 Ashes series, which sold for a reported 245,000 AUD (roughly 174,250 USD / 131,750 GBP) at auction, in December 2021.
The winning bidder agreed to keep the willow on display at the Bradman Museum in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia.
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The most expensive piece of James Bond movie memorabilia sold at auction is a silver 1965 Aston Martin DB5, one of four such cars made for the early Bond films featuring all the “Q branch” gadgets including machine guns in the bumpers and a retractable bulletproof rear screen. The vehicle sold for $6,385,000 (£5.2 million) at auction at Monterey, California, USA, in August 2019.
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The most expensive sports trading card sold at auction is a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which sold for $12,600,000 (£10,722,310 / €12,643,344), on 28 August 2022.
The card is from Baseball Hall of Famer Mantle’s rookie season and was bought by its seller for just $50,000 in 1991. It was graded Mint+ 9.5 (out of 10) and was sold through Heritage Auctions.
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The most expensive belt buckle sold at auction is $90,000 (£65,462 / €77,445), paid for a ‘H’ engraved buckle once belonging to Harry Houdini, sold at Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 30 October 2021.
The winning bidder was Tarek Tabsh (USA), who bought the item to “honor Houdini’s monumental contributions to magic as an art form”.
The custom “H” buckle was worn by Houdini during his last performance and day of his death.
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The most expensive sports memorabilia sold at auction is a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which sold for $12,600,000 (£10,722,310 / €12,643,344), on 28 August 2022.
The card is from Baseball Hall of Famer Mantle’s rookie season and was bought by its seller for just $50,000 in 1991. It was graded Mint+ 9.5 (out of 10) and was sold through Heritage Auctions.
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The most expensive drum kit sold at auction is Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit, sold at $2,100,000 (£1,395,370, €1,934,890), including premium, at Julien’s Auctions held in California, USA, on 5 December 2015.
The Ludwig drum kit was said to have been used in at least 200 performances since it was purchased by Ringo Starr in 1962.
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The most expensive painting by Monet sold at auction is a 1890 Meules (Haystacks) painting, which sold for $110,747,000 (£85,227,200; €98,572,600), including buyer’s premium, by Sotheby’s in New York, USA, on 14 May 2019.
Completed in 1890, the painting depicts the haystacks of rural Normandy in France. It is one of several paintings in his Meulesor series, commonly known as “Haystacks”. It is one of only four to have been auctioned since 2000 and is one of eight that still remain in private collections.
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