The 25.59-carat “Sunrise Ruby”, set with diamonds in a ring made by Cartier, sold for 28,250,000 Swiss francs ($30,274,100; £19,552,200; €27,122,000), including commission, to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva, Switzerland, on 12 May 2015. This puts its per-carat price at an incredible 1,103,946 Swiss francs ($1,183,044; £764,009; €1,059,770).
The Sunrise Ruby originates from Myanmar. It is described as a “pigeon’s-blood ruby” – the rarest and most precious class of rubies, distinguished by its intense colour.
Its original auction estimate was between $12 million and $18 million. Its total sale price is also a record for a single ruby.
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History of Auctioneering
Robert McWhirter
August 1, 1940 ~ October 18, 2007 (age 67) 67 Years Old Those left to honor Robert’s memory are his wife, Sandra “Sam” of Baxter; son, Brian (and Julie) McWhirter of Baxter; his 2 grandchildren, Hannah and Hunter McWhirter of Baxter; 4 sisters, Linda McWhirter of Baxter, Phyllis (and Larry) Ballard of Newton, Laurie (and James) Davis of Mickleton, New Jersey, and Sharon (and Tom) DeWitt of Rogersville, Missouri; his brother, Gene (and Kathie) McWhirter of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; and his foreign exchange son and family, Christian (and Lillian) Anderson and their children, Rasmus and Simon of Denmark. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lillian (Robinett) McWhirter; sister, Carolyn Ankeney; and his maternal and paternal grandparents. Robert was a graduate of Baxter High School in 1958 and received his B.S. from Northwest Missouri University in 1965. Robert was an Auctioneer and Machinery Dealer. He owned and operated B and M Auction, Chariton Farm Machinery Auction, and McWhirter Implement. He was a member of the Newton Elks Lodge, Iowa Auctioneers Association, Wisconsin Auctioneers Association, and California Auctioneers Association.Country:
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La Fortune, Donald E. Donald E. “Joe” La Fortune, 65, Oconto, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 8th, 2011 with his family by his side. Donald was born June 22nd, 1945 to the late Calvin “Swede” and Esther La Fortune in Oconto, WI. On October 9th, 1976 he married Linda. Since 1980, Donald and Linda owned and operated La Fortune Auction & Realty. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, farming, riding his Harley, and spending time with his family. Donald was very active in his community and involved in many organizations including Oconto Kiwanis Club, Oconto Copperfest Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Committee, National and Wisconsin Auctioneers Association, Wisconsin Realtors Association, Volunteer of Pensaukee Fire Department, and was a main contributor in restarting the satellite site for the CP telethon in Oconto. Most currently, he was the director of the Oconto County Volunteers in Probation (VIP) Program. Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Linda; four children, Susan (Jason), Joseph (Jenelle), Rebecca (Chad), and Jodee (Joe); “other” son, Harold (Sherry) Frewerd; brother, Ken (Judy); six grandchildren, Tyler, Kaeden, Collin, Amanda (James), Ryan, and Abby; two great grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and good friends. Donald was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and one sister.
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The most expensive suit (clothing) sold at auction is Rs. (Rupees) 43,131,311 (£448,944; $693,174) and was bought by Laljibhai Tulsibai Patel (India), in Surat, Gujarat, India, on 20 February 2015.
- The suit was worn by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi.
- The proceeds from this auction went to the Namami Gange Fund, a project to clean the Ganges river.
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Sold for £640 (US$939.84), the world’s most expensive Post-It® Note features a pastel and charcoal work called After Rembrandt by artist RB Kitaj. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Post-it® Note, celebrity artists were asked to create miniature masterpieces on Post-it® Notes that were then auctioned online 13-20 December 2000 raising over £5,000 ($7,300) for charity.
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Sold for £640 (US$939.84), the world’s most expensive Post-It® Note features a pastel and charcoal work called After Rembrandt by artist RB Kitaj. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Post-it® Note, celebrity artists were asked to create miniature masterpieces on Post-it® Notes that were then auctioned online 13-20 December 2000 raising over £5,000 ($7,300) for charity.
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The most valuable chocolate bar in the world is a 100-year old Cadbury’s chocolate bar which went on Captain Robert Scott’s first Discovery expedition (1901-1904) to the Antarctic. The bar, which is 10 cm (4 in) long, wrapped and uneaten in a cigarette tin, was bought for £470 ($687) by an anonymous buyer at Christie’s, London, UK on 25 September 2001.
The bar was made at Cadbury’s Bournville factory in Birmingham and was part of 1,587 kg (3,500 lb) of cocoa and chocolate Scott took on the trip.
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The most expensive videogame sold at an online auction is a sealed copy of Super Mario 64, which sold for $1,560,000 (£1,121,490 / €1,313,080) at an online auction hosted by Heritage Auctions (USA), on 11 July 2021.
The fee broke a record set just days earlier when a sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda sold for $870,000 (£627,744 / €733,910) in an online auction also hosted by Heritage Auctions.
The 1996 Nintendo 64 cartridge was given a 9.8 A++ rating by video game collectable firm Wata.
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The most expensive bottle of water sold at auction was for $774,000 pesos, $60,000 US (£39,357) at an auction organised by Plan3t Foundation A.C. at La Hacienda de los Morales, Mexico City, Mexico on, 4 March 2010. The glass bottle is covered in 24-karat gold and is based on artwork by the late Italian artist Amedeo Clemente Modigliani. The funds raised from the auction were donated to the foundation to battle global warming.
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The most expensive tuna fish sold at an auction is a bluefin tuna sold at a price of 333,600,000 Yen ($3,082,610; £2,431,410) to Sushizanmai of Kiyomura Corporation (Japan) at the annual first fish auction of the year at Toyosu Market in Koto, Tokyo, Japan, on 5 January 2019. It was caught in Oma, Aomori, Japan, and it weighed 278 kg (612 lb 14.24 oz).
It was the first “first market auction of the year” celebration at Toyosu Market. CEO of Kiyomura served the tuna after the action. Though the tuna was the most expensive tuna fish, the price for one piece of sushi was set to the regular price.
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The record total for any camera auction is £;296,043 ($535,690) for a collection of `spy’, subminiature and detective cameras sold at Christie’s, London, UK on 9 December 1991.
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