There's some good wine auction news out of Hong Kong. Bloomberg reports that a 12-bottle lot of much-prized 1961 Chateau Latour sold for a record price of HK$1.32 million ($170,320) at Christie's International first wine auction in Hong Kong in seven years on November 29. The amount was double the high-end of the pre-sale estimate of HK$650,000. They were bought by an Asian private collector. Two other lots of Latour 1961 were the second- and third-most expensive items at the auction. And the sale ratio was healthy on this one, out of 246 lots offered, 231 sold for a combined HK$31.5 million with many lots going above estimates. Wine seems to be fairing better than art at auctions recently, especially in Hong Kong. Around 90 percent of lots offered at Acker Merrall & Condit's Nov. 15 sale found buyers.Posts with tag Auctions
Wine Auctions Find People Are Still Buying In Hong Kong
There's some good wine auction news out of Hong Kong. Bloomberg reports that a 12-bottle lot of much-prized 1961 Chateau Latour sold for a record price of HK$1.32 million ($170,320) at Christie's International first wine auction in Hong Kong in seven years on November 29. The amount was double the high-end of the pre-sale estimate of HK$650,000. They were bought by an Asian private collector. Two other lots of Latour 1961 were the second- and third-most expensive items at the auction. And the sale ratio was healthy on this one, out of 246 lots offered, 231 sold for a combined HK$31.5 million with many lots going above estimates. Wine seems to be fairing better than art at auctions recently, especially in Hong Kong. Around 90 percent of lots offered at Acker Merrall & Condit's Nov. 15 sale found buyers.Russian Art Auctions In London Report Slow Sales
Earlier this year, practically every art auction story had a rich Russian attached to it. But this week London's Russian art auctions followed the same gloomy track that the New York art auctions took earlier this month. Many of the sales struggled to hit their lowest pre-sale estimates. BBC News reports on the sales noting that last year a Faberge egg sold to a Russian collector for £8.9 million but there were not similar big sales this year. The top end of the market has suffered greatly as sellers try to adjust to the new pricing reality while the middle of the market continues to sell things at a steady but lower rate. The low sales results also undo some of the work that Sotheby's and Christie's have done in trying to get Russian collectors to put pieces up for sale as those who have pieces to sell might be inclined to wait out a down market.
Of course some beautiful pieces did find a home. The piece above, a Faberge gold snuff box depicting the Sacrifice of Iphigenia and tied at the top with a diamond-set bow did very well at the Sotheby's auction on Wednesday. It was estimated to sell for £60,000-80,000 but went for £373,250.
Kim Kardashian Auctions for Charity ... Again
Kim Kardashian is auctioning off her belongings on eBay yet again for her favorite charity the Dream Foundation. And this time it's not only her old clothes, shoes, and dresses but several members of her car collection also -- including a Range Rover, a Mercedes, and a Maserati. Plus this time she's convinced her boyfriend Reggie Bush, her two sisters Kourtney and Khloe, and her mom to participate in the auction with her by cleaning out their own closets and selling stuff as well.
The Kim's Closet charity auctions are currently running on eBay and scheduled to run through Dec 3rd.
New Yorkers Raise $350,000 in Auction for RxArt
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RxArt held its big bash/silent auction at the Milk Gallery in Chelsea earlier this week, drawing a crowd that took its time bidding but ended up supporting the non-profit group to the tune of $350,000. RxArt installs art exhibits in children's hospitals to relieve stress and create inspiring environments. Founded in 2000 by well-known gallerist Diane Brown (at right with board member Cynthia Rowley), the non-profit tries to de-institutionalize hospital spaces with original art, usually colorful exhibits by artists like William Wegman and Frank Stella that stretch across every wall and ceiling possible.
The group produces coloring books for patients drawn from every installation, so kids can focus on emotional healing while docs aim to do the rest.
Bruce Willis To Sell Classic Cars At Auction
Bruce Willis is auctioning off some classic cars at the Bonhams auction being held at the The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on October 25. The sale, which also includes Steve McQueen memorabilia and a diamond-covered matchbox car, will auction off five "muscle" cars from the collection of Bruce Willis. The most expensive is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible which has been carefully restored and is estimated to sell for $150,000 - 175,000.
Gallery: Bruce Willis Car Aucton
Travel + Leisure Commissions Artists for Project Globe Auction
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Travel + Leisure has announced its collaboration with 18 prominent artists including Maya Lin, Manolo Blahnik and April Gornik, to create specially-commissioned pieces to be auctioned as part of its second annual Project Globe event. Following the auction, the magazine will donate all proceeds to Future Generations, a non-profit conservation and community development organization. The online auction starts today at tlprojectglobe.com, where bidders are swiftly staking their claims.The diverse group of photographs, sculptures and jewelry, all of which aim to celebrate travel's positive impact, will be shown at GlassHouses in New York City on September 19 and 20. Photographs from the auctioned items will be featured in Travel + Leisure's October Style + Culture issue, on newsstands September 23. See the gallery for a selection of items at auction.
Gallery: Project Globe Auction
The Police are Auctioning their Instruments on Ebay
In commemoration of their final appearance together (scheduled for August 7th at Madison Square Garden) auctions started this week on eBay for a complete set of Police instruments autographed by the band. The set includes 4 instruments that are each available for bidding separately and include Sting's Signature Bass, Sting's Sennheiser Microphone and Stand, Andy's Signature Fender Telecaster, and Stewart's Tama Star Drum Set.
100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Public Television Rocks! in honor of their dedication to art, music, and culture.
Shepard Fairey Barack Obama Painting Auctioned For Charity
When contemporary art cult fave Shepard Fairey started "campaigning" for Barack Obama, he created original collages assembling inspiring portraits of Obama above titles like HOPE, PROGRESS and CHANGE. We saw them silkscreened on tee shirts worn by the likes of Ryan Phillippe that soon became impossible to get, selling for thousands on eBay. Now for the true connoisseur -- of politics and art -- the rare opportunity exists to bid on one of the original three pieces, OBAMA HOPE. Currently at $60,000, the piece is being auctioned by Westport, CT-based CharityBuzz, which will donate profits to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, providing access to the arts to disadvantaged urban youth. CharityBuzz will accept bids until July 24, but if you miss this potentially revolutionary piece of art, you can at least order the sticker version online at Sticker Robot. Big spender yours truly just snagged ten of them.
Results of the Sopranos Auction
Last month we reported that there was to be an auction of apparel from The Sopranos. The results from the June 25 event are in: Twenty-five outfits worn by James Gandolfini's alter ego raised $187,750 and benefited the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that aids wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gandolfini attended part of the Christie's auction with a soldier from the project.
The highest bid was for a faux-bloodstained outfit that Gandolfini wore in a scene when Tony is shot by a demented Uncle Junior: the black and beige short-sleeve polo shirt, a tank top and black pants brought in $43,750. The next highest bid was $21,250 for a four-piece costume that included a blue, red and yellow striped robe and boxer shorts that the actor wore in numerous episodes. Other top-selling outfits included a tan cotton bathrobe with lavender trim and 'S' insignia on the breast pocket that was featured in the pilot when Tony fetched the morning paper and fed the ducks in his pool, which raised $13,750.
All of the outfits were authenticated by Gandolfini, and many had the original production tags attached. See a sampling of the auctioned items in the gallery. See the entire lot and prices realized here.
Gallery: Results of the Sopranos Auction
Tony Hawk Foundation, Charity of the Day
The Tony Hawk Foundation has a very broad mission of working to foster lasting improvements in society and it aims to do this mainly by empowering and supporting the youth of today. The Tony Hawk Foundation creates and supports various recreational programs around the country but usually favors (of course!) putting up skateboard parks in low income communities.
Currently the foundation is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon on eBay that was customized by Tony Hawk himself. As of writing this post the bidding is at $45,500 with the auction set to end later today.
The Most Expensive Watermelon
Watermelon is one of the signature fruits of summer, and although (considering today's economy) I'm willing to pay more for it than I used to I'm not so sure I'd be willing to pay upwards of $6,000 for a single melon! But at least one man in Japan was as he bid on and won an auction for a 17lb Densuke watermelon for a whopping $6,100. Despite the fact that watermelon is considered a luxury in Japan and that this particular kind of melon only grows in one place (on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan), this auction marks the highest selling price ever for a watermelon in Japan, and most likely the world.
McQueen Porsche Up For Auction
This is one auction that we're all getting plenty of notice for: the porsche made famous by Steve McQueen in the 70s is going up on the auction block this August.
The 1970 Porsche 908/2 was raced several times by McQueen, including once when he was driving with a duct-taped cast on a broken foot and once when there were cameras attached to the vehicle to collect movie footage. The car has a 3.0 liter 350hp engine and is expected to sell for between $1.5 - $2 million at the auction in Carmel Valley, CA by Bonhams & Butterfields.
Jerry Hall Is Cleaning Out Her Closet
Jerry Hall, supermodel, actress, and ex-wife of Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, is emptying out her closet and donating everything to charity.She's getting rid of 430 items total, including clothing and accessories from designer names like Dior, Balmain, Balenciaga, and textiles from as far back as 1700. Also included in the sale will be several outfits and evening dresses worn to various events, and perhaps most noteworthy of all the wedding dress she wore at her wedding to Mick Jagger back in 1990. The goodies will be auctioned off at Sotheby's in London on June 10th, with all proceeds going to benefit the homeless through the Emmaus charity.
World Records Set at $8.5 Million Rolex Auction
Nine world records were set at Antiquorum's massive vintage Rolex auction on April 17, entitled Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch, commemorating the brand's 100th anniversary. In total, $8,515,260 worth of timepieces were sold to bidders worldwide. Among the records set was $237,600 each for two highly-prized 1967 Sea-Dweller Submariners, and $166,800 for a 1973 Submariner originally issued to the British military. The most beautiful watch in the sale, the rare "Jean-Claude Killy" Antimagnetic Oyster Chronograph, fetched $155,000, while the highest price was brought in by a 1979 "Comex" model Sea-Dweller, which went for $248,800.
While collectors certainly paid a premium for historical value, not all the most attractive watches hit six figures. The super-stylish version of the Explorer known as the "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" pictured here went for a more modest $40,800, still a significant sum for this model.
Gallery: Antiquorum's 100th Anniversary Rolex Auction
The Perfect Pear Sells Privately, Not at Auction
The highly anticipated 72.22 carat "Perfect Pear" diamond was withdrawn from the Sotheby's Hong Kong auction on April 10th after the final bid failed to reach the reserve price. Originally the stone was expected to sell for upwards of $13 million but the highest bid maxed out at only $9.4 million. That didn't seem to dampen interest, however, as within just a few hours of the auction closing the stone was sold to a private buyer for an undisclosed amount.
Experts say the bidding prices were likely lower than expected due to confusion over the exchange rate of different currencies. Hm, does that mean they got their $13 million after all? Seems like people spending that much money would have a handle on that kind of thing.
