The most expensive watch sold at auction was a one-off stainless-steel edition of the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A, which achieved 31 million Swiss francs (£24,329,900; $33,649,500; €28,520,400) at the eighth Only Watch auction held at Christie’s in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 November 2019. As this was a charity event, there were no auction fees or buyer’s premium.
In addition to its one-off steel casing, several other features made this watch unique, including golden opaline and ebony-black dials and an inscription on one of the dials of “The Only One”.
Of the total CHF 38,593,000 accrued at the eighth Only Watch charity auction, 99% of the proceeds went to funding research into muscular dystrophy.
This beat the previous record, also held by a Patek Philippe & Co. timepiece, of 23.22 million CHF (£15.1 m/$24 m), including buyer’s premium, paid for the unique Henry Graves Jr Supercomplication, a gold, double-dialled and double open-faced, minute-repeating clockwatch (pocketwatch) crafted by hand between 1925 and 1932 by (Switzerland). This was sold at the Important Watches sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 November 2014.
This also beats the previous most expensive wristwatch: a Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Daytona, aka the “Paul Newman” Rolex, which sold to a private telephone bidder for $17,752,500 (£13,520,300), including buyer’s premium, on 26 October 2017 at Phillips Auctioneers in New York City, USA.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
History of Auctioneering
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most expensive page of comic art sold at auction is page 25 of Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8, which was sold for $3,360,000 (£2,458,880 / €2,948,010) by Heritage Auctions, on 13 January 2022.
The 1984 comic book was illustrated by Mike Zeck (USA). Page 25 tells the origin story of Spiderman’s iconic black symbiote costume. Page 24 of the same comic was also sold as part of the action, fetching $288,000!
The sale greatly surpasses the previous record of $657,250 paid for a page of The Incredible Hulk (1974) which featured the rise of Wolverine.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most expensive cricket shirt sold at online auction is Jos Buttler’s 2019 World Cup Final match-worn No.63 shirt, selling on eBay for £65,100 ($80,157) on 8 April 2020.
Jos Buttler put his 2019 World Cup Final match-worn shirt on eBay to raise money for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals after the outbreak of COVID-19. The shirt was worn during the super over that saw England win the World Cup and is still stained from the run out of Martin Guptill which won England the match. The auction attracted 82 bids with an eventual winning claim of £65,100.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The largest guitar collection sold at a charity auction is the “David Gilmour Guitar Collection”, which sold 123 guitars and was collected by David Gilmour (UK) and auctioned by Christie’s in New York, USA, on 20 June 2019.
Renowned Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, sold his impressive guitar collection for $21,198,250 (£16,624,700; €18,642,100), with proceeds being donated to ClientEarth. “The Black Strat” guitar was on the listing, which was fundamental in creating the music for several Pink Floyd albums:The Dark Side Of The Moon(1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most expensive guitar collection sold at a charity auction is the “David Gilmour Guitar Collection”, which sold for $21,198,250 (£16,624,700; €18,642,100), including premium, collected by David Gilmour (UK) and auctioned by Christie’s in New York, USA, on 20 June 2019.
Renowned Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, sold his impressive collection of 123 guitars, with proceeds being donated to ClientEarth. The collection included the legendary “The Black Strat” guitar, which was fundamental in creating the music for several Pink Floyd albums:The Dark Side Of The Moon(1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
A Batmobile used in the 1960s Batman TV show sold at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottdale, Arizona, USA, on 19 January 2013 for a record $4,620,000 (£2,897,770), inclusive of the seller’s premium. To give this Batmobile it its distinctive look, George Barris, designer of custom cars, transformed an original 1955 Lincoln Futura by re-forming fins, changing the grille and by giving a gothic style to the headlights. The rocket boosters, machine guns, Bat Radar and Bat Phone were then added. George Barris himself presented the car at the Barrett-Jackson auction.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most valuable toy soldier in the world is the first handcrafted 1963 G.I. Joe prototype which was sold on 7 August 2003 by its creator Don Levine to Baltimore businessman Stephen A. Geppi for $200,000 (£124,309) during an auction conducted by Heritage Comics Auctions of Dallas, Texas, USA. Don Levine made the nearly one-foot high figure on his ping pong table 40 years ago. The prototype wears a hand-stitched Sargeant’s uniform and an apparently battle-weary expression.
2004 marks the 40th anniversary of when the first G.I. Joe went on sale.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most valuable hair clippings sold at auction are a mass of dark black cuttings from the head of Elvis Presley which were sold by his personal barber, Homer ‘Gill’ Gilleland, for $115,120 (£72,791, buyer’s premium included) to an anonymous buyer during an online auction held by MastroNet Inc, Oak Brook, Illinois, USA on 15 November 2002.
The mass of hair is approximately 3 in (8 cm) in diameter and is accompanied by letters of authenticity from Tom Morgan Jr. (detailing their history), John W. Heath (the world’s foremost Elvis memorabilia expert) and John Reznikoff of University Archives (the world’s most respected authority in the field of hair collecting).
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
A set of dentures that once belonged to wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill sold for £15,200 ($23,700) to an anonymous bidder on 29 July 2010. The auction was organized by Keys fine-art auctioneers in Aylsham, Norfolk, UK. The sale price was three times the estimated price.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source: