Most Expensive

Marcia Sherill's $46,000 Grande Anne Tole, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

The Grande Anne Tole by Marcia Sherrill may appear unassuming when compared to some of the flashier bags we sometimes feature but this little gem packs some serious luxury punch. Shown here in natural/black python skin one of the most notable features of the Grande Anne Tole (along with many of Marcia Sherrill's other creations) is its solid 18k gold hardware throughout. Yes, that large designer-stamped button on the front is basically a big golden nugget. Other features include structured, timeless shaping, rolled double top handles, and a metallic gold plonge leather interior lining. Prices vary according to the going rate for gold by the ounce but you can expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $46,000 for this beauty.

Source

Tags: handbag, handbag of the day, marcia sherrill, most expensive

Rare Expensive Chinese Vase Surrounded By Controversy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Last year one of the most expensive things sold at auction was an 18th century Chinese porcelain vase which was sold for £43 million ($69.3 million) at Bainbridge's Auctions (£51.6 million after the buyers premium). The vase was only estimated to sell for £1.2 million at the small auction house but fierce bidding among Chinese would-be buyers drove up the price. The vase sold to a Chinese bidder who turned up to bid on behalf of an undisclosed buyer. But now the story continues with a new article from the Telegraph that says that buyer has a case of cold feet. Some say that the Chinese bidder, described as a wealthy industrialist had lost out on a similar auction and may have leaped before he looked. Or he could still be gathering money to pay for the vase.

Tags: chinese, chinese porcelain, most expensive, most expensive vase, qianlong

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The Five Most Expensive Beatles Collectibles

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Wikicollecting.org, a new collaborative wiki project for collectors, has created the a list of the top five most expensive collectibles associated with The Beatles. The popular band has spawned many museums and items that are associated with members of the band, especially in relation to the creation of their music, sell very well, often at auction at some of the world's top houses. The top collectibles are associated with the life and music of John Lennon.

1) John Lennon's Rolls-Royce Phantom V – $2.23 million. In 1985, a psychedelic hand-painted Rolls-Royce Phantom V owned by John Lennon was sold by Sotheby's. This amazing car with custom modifications including a seat that converts to a double bed, a television and an interior-exterior sound system, is housed at the Royal BC Museum. Canadian businessman Jim Pattison donated the car to the museum.

2) The piano John Lennon used to write Imagine - $2.1 million. The simple walnut-finished Steinway upright that John Lennon used to write the song "Imagine" is an example of a humble collectible that has acquired value because it is part of history. It is considered to be one of the most valuable pieces of music memorabilia with a current estimated value of $8 million to $12 million. Musician George Michael bought the piano at auction for $2.1 million in 2000 and composed the song "Patience" on it. The instrument was recently on loan to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tags: beatles, beatles memorabilia, john lennon, most expensive, the beatles

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Mouawad's 1001 Nights Purse, The World's Most Valuable Handbag

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Forget handbag of the day, this is perhaps, the handbag of a lifetime. Jewelry designer Mouawad, which has designed some of the jewel-studded bras for Victoria's Secret, has unveiled "The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse". The bag is valued at $3.8 million and has claimed the Guinness World Record as the most valuable handbag in the world.

"Just as the tales of Scheherazade have captivated readers with their intricately woven plots of uninhibited passion and daring, so the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse is designed to mesmerize with its lavish attention to detail and elaborate workmanship incorporating thousands of diamonds," said Pascal Mouawad, co-guardian of the House of Mouawad.

The heart-shaped purse is made from 18K gold and is covered with 4,517 diamonds (105 yellow, 56 pink and 4,356 colorless) representing a total weight of 381.92 carats. Creating the bag took 10 craftsmen more than 1,000 hours to complete. The Daily Mail reports that the handbag was exhibited at the Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition over the weekend.

Tags: diamond-covered, handbag, most expensive, most expensive handbag, most expensive purse, mouawad

Most Expensive Things Sold At Auction 2010

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

2010 saw a lot of records set in the auction world. The art market was back in a big way. One painting that dazzled the world was Picasso's Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust which sold for $106.5 million at Christie's, setting a world record for any work of art sold at auction beating out a Giacometti sculpture which had sold for over $104 million. After the jump, a list of things that earned the "most expensive" title in their categories in 2010.

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Luxist Top Ten Wildest Designer Shoes of 2010

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

It was a great year for shoes (although we think every year is) and we had fun covering all the most extravagant, exotic, and indulgent shoe designs of 2010. Glass slippers, solid gold sandals, and soles that light up with every step are among our favorite highlights but see the complete top ten list below and let us know what you think.

Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stilettos
The $155,000 Eternal Borgezie Stilettos were the most expensive shoes in 2010 and took three years for British jewelry designer Christopher Michael Shellis to create. They're handcrafted by a goldsmith and then a jeweler, who encrusts them with 2,200 diamonds for a total of 30 carats of sparkle. Shellis was quoted as saying "The result is not so much a shoe, but rather a fine piece of jewelry that can be miraculously yet practically worn as the ultimate feminine adornment."

Tags: most expensive, shoes, top 10, top ten

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Emirates Hotel In Abu Dhabi Unveils $11 Million Christmas Tree

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Christmas is being celebrated with extravagance at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The hotel, which is one of the world's most expensive, has unveiled an $11 million Christmas tree. The artificial tree is over 42 feet tall and is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights.

Christmas is being celebrated with extravagance at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The hotel, which is one of the world's most expensive, has unvieled an $11 million Christmas tree. The artificial tree is over 42 feet tall and is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights.

Tags: abu dhabi, christmas tree, emirates hotel, most expensive

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New Record Set For Most Expensive Piece Of English Furniture

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A piece of furniture believed to be crafted by Thomas Chippendale and dating to circa 1770 has set a new record for any piece of English furniture sold at auction. The Harrington Commode was sold by Sotheby's London on December 7 bringing in £3,793,250 ($5,980,438), over three times its estimate. The price trumped the previous record set in June 2008 over at Christie's for a George II Parcel-Gilt Padouk Cabinet-on- Stand also attributed to Thomas Chippendale, which sold for £2,729,250 ($5,324,763).

The battle over the Harrington Commode took about 15 minutes. Commenting on the sale, Henry House, Head of English Furniture at Sotheby's and the auctioneer for the sale, commented: "This remarkable commode which is outstandingly beautiful in both form and condition, was keenly contested by five bidders, the final price demonstrating true demand in the market for items of real quality, and one which I feel is justly deserved for an item that has been an honour to sell."

The Harrington Commode was previously at Elvaston Castle, Derbyshire and was sold by order of the Trustees of the 10th Earl of Harrington's Will Trust as part of the Important Furniture, Ceramics, Clocks, Silver & Vertu sale. The sale made a total of £6,216,750 against a pre-sale estimate of £2,874,000 - £4,403,000.

Tags: english furniture, most expensive, most expensive furniture, sothebys, thomas chippendale

World's Most Expensive Book Sells For $11.5 Million

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Books

One of the most monumental printed books ever produced, John James Audubon's Birds of America, sold at Sotheby's London this week for £7,321,250 ($11,542,683) setting a new world record for any printed book ever sold at auction. There are only around 100 copies of this book which contains 435 hand-colored prints and is more than three feet tall. A different copy sold for $8.8 million in 2000.

Four collectors bid on the phones and in the room, driving the price above the estimates of $6.3 million to $9.5 million. The book was purchased by London dealer Michael Tollemache, who was bidding in the room and who described the work after the sale as "priceless." The Audubon was part of the sale of Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh that brought in a total of £14,971,950 ($23,604,776 ) sailing over the high estimate of approximately $18.6 million and setting a record as the highest price ever achieved for a single-session sale of Books and Manuscripts ever held in London.

The sale also featured a first folio of Shakespeare's plays dating back to 1623, one of the most important books in English Literature. It sold for £1,497,250, right around the high estimate of £1.5 million and was purchased by Stephan Loewentheil. Forty letters relating to the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, including four letters signed by Queen Elizabeth I, sold for £349,250 ($550,628) (estimated at £150,000-200,000), a record for a group of Elizabethan manuscripts at auction.

Tags: audubon, birds of america, john james audubon, most expensive, sothebys, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive book

Large Bottle of Cheval Blanc Sets New Auction Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

A massive imperial-size bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 has set a new world record for a single bottle sold at auction. The bottle (which hold the equivalent of eight standard sized bottles) was found in the secret cellar of a wine collector.

It sold for $304,580 on Tuesday at the fine wine auction at Christie's in Geneva. Just last month the record for the most expensive wine bottle had been set in Hong Kong when three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby's for an astounding hammer price of $232,692 a bottle (the Lafite-Rothschild is still the champ if you are measuring price per milliliter).

[via IB Times]

Tags: bordeaux, cheval blanc, christies, imperial bottle, most expensive, most expensive wine, wine auction

Chinese Vase Sets New World Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

In a week that has seen quite a few huge sales in contemporary art, an 18th century Chinese porcelain vase managed to still stun the world. The vase, which was discovered when a house was cleared out was sold for £43 million ($69.3 million) at Bainbridges Auctions (£53.1m after commission which pushes the total to over $85 million). The vase was only estimated to sell for £1.2 million but fierce bidding among Chinese would-be buyers drove up the price. The vase sold to a Chinese bidder who turned up to bid on behalf of an undisclosed buyer.

Bainbridges, the auction house in the London suburb of Ruislip, knew they had something special on their hands but no one expected the piece to sell for quite this much money. It is believed to be the most expensive piece of Chinese art ever sold. In a blog post before the auction, Bainbridges said that the vase was "what must be one of the most important Chinese vases to be offered for sale this century." They speculated that the delicate vase with the fish motif would have spent time in the Chinese Royal Palace and was likely fired in the Imperial kilns. One of the things that makes this vase so amazing is that it has a reticulated double walled construction. There is an inner vase that can be viewed through the perforations of the main body. It is of the Qianlong period, circa 1740s and decorated with four cartouches each showcasing different styles of fish at play on stylized water backgrounds. It has a delicately painted yellow trumpet neck and vase set off from the central decoration by orange bands.

Tags: chinese, chinese vase, most expensive, most expensive chinese art, most expensive vase, qianlong

Antarctic Nail Ale, A New Rival For The Title of Most Expensive Beer

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Auctions, Charity

There's a new contestant for the title of world's most expensive beer. At the Sea Shepherds auction in Fremantle,Australia this week the number one bottle (of 30) of Antarctic Nail Ale sold for $800. The beer was brewed with ice brought back from the Antarctica from the Sea Shepherds last campaign. Proceeds went to the Sea Shepard, which fights to stop Japanese whaling ships killing whales in the Antarctic sanctuary. The buyer was the Elliot Syndicate. The new beer rivals the £500 "The end of History" created by Brewdog. The Scottish brewery brewed eleven bottles of the beer which has an alcohol content of 55 percent ABV and was sold in animal carcasses. Antarctic Nail Ale was brewed by Nail Brewing Australia at Edith Cowan University. Sea Shepherd has bottles #2 to 10 available for purchase.

[via Ecorazzi]

Tags: antarctic nail ale, beer, most expensive, most expensive beer, worlds most expensive

Sam Adams' Collectible $150 Utopias Beer Expanding Distribution

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Samuel Adams Utopias, an extra strong beer brewed with a blend of malts and maple syrup and aged in cognac, bourbon and port casks, is expected to sell for $115 a bottle when it arrives in Canadian stores this month.

Utopias has been on sale in the U.S. since 2002 and the Canadian introduction gives us a chance to share our tasting experience. It also may give some an idea for a first-class holiday gift for the beer lover.

The beer, priced in the U.S. at about $150, is banned in 12 U.S. states because its high alcohol content (27 per cent by volume) puts it past their legal threshold for "beer." Older vintages of Utopias, like from 2002, sell for hundreds of dollars on the auction market.

Utopias is made from a blend of several different strong beers that have been aged in cognac, bourbon and port barrels.The oldest of the strong beers blended to create Utopias is 15 years, Sam Adams co-founder Jim Koch says. Figuring out how much of each beer to put in the final blend is a the magic that makes each release different. Ten thousand of the bottles were produced and can still be purchased at select retailers.

Taste: The high alcohol hits you right away. The oak is very over-the-top. It would be criticized if we were tasting cognac or wine. In beer, it is novel. Taste of figs and caramel come from the barrels. The finish is short, which is a bit disappointing. But once you understand that this is a different product than whiskey when it comes to finishes, it's okay. You have to accept, or not, the character of aged, barreled beer. Worth the money? I would buy it for a serious beer drinker, aficionado.

Utopias isn't the most expensive beer in the world by a long-shot, but it is what probably ignited the interest in high-alcohol aged beers. End of History, a 55-per-cent alcohol beer from Scotland's brewdog, sold for 500 pounds ($811). Vintage #3, a barley wine made by Carlsberg, sold for 2,010 Danish kroner ($382).

Tags: beer, Brewdog, Carlsberg, End of History, most expensive, Sam Adams, Sam Adams Utopia

New Bombardiers Will Be World's Most Expensive Business Jets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Wealth

Canadian aviation company Bombardier is aiming to displace Gulfstream as the world's most expensive business jet with the introduction of two new models. The Global 7000 and 8000, which will cost about $65 million apiece, will beat the high-speed range of the $58.5 million Gulfstream G650. Both new private jets will have a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90; the 7000 will have a range of 7,300 nmi at Mach 0.85, while the 8000's range will top out at 7,900 nmi at Mach 0.85. Both will borrow elements from the existing Global Express XRS and 5000.

New wings, new tech and luxe amenities added to increased fuel efficiency will be the hallmarks of the new craft, aimed to appeal to ultra-wealthy customers in India, Asia and the UAE. The 7000 will have the largest cabin in business aviation while the 8,000 will boast the longest range. The 7000 will be able to fly from London to Singapore, New York to Dubai or Beijing to Washington non-stop with 10 passengers, while the 8000 can do Sydney to Los Angeles, Hong Kong to New York and Mumbai to New York non-stop with eight. Unfortunately the first one won't be ready for delivery until 2016.

Tags: aviation, Bombardier, Gulfstream, jet, most expensive, private jet, worlds most expensive

Most Expensive Wine Sells At Auction In Hong Kong

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Over the past couple years we've seen wine auction prices in Hong Kong rise and rise. A new level was achieved this week when three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby's for an astounding hammer price of $232,692 a bottle (a total of $698,076). That makes these the most expensive bottles of wine ever sold at auction. The entire sale of treasures direct from the legendary Chateau Lafite brought in a total of $8.4 million, tripling the pre-sale high estimate of $2.5 million. Every lot was sold, adding to the success of Sotheby's Hong Kong in maintaining the tenth consecutive 100%-sold wine auction in Asia in the last 18 months. It is only auction house to achieve this record.

The sale featured 284 lots of Lafite, as well as the other chateaux owned by Domaines Baron de Rothschild, all with direct-from-the-cellar perfect provenance. Before being shipped to Hong Kong, these bottles never left the cellars in which they were placed immediately after being made.

Baron Eric de Rothschild, owner of Chateau Lafite, said: "I am delighted that this unique auction brought Lafite to so many true connoisseurs and wine lovers. Our aim was to open our cellar doors to the friends of Chateau Lafite in Asia so that they could enjoy fabulous vintages in the best possible condition. We are very happy that Sotheby's took Lafite to new heights with this sale and we toast all those followers of Lafite who appreciate the passion with which we make it."

[via The Wealth Report]

Tags: chateau lafite, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, hong kong wine auction, most expensive, most expensive wine, sothebys, wine auction

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