auction

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Faberge Egg Beats Its Own Record at Auction

Imperial Egg made for last tsar sells for $30M

(Newser) - A rare Fabergé egg commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 shattered auction records Tuesday, fetching $30.2 million at Christie's in London. The Winter Egg, originally a gift for the Russian ruler's mother, is one of just seven of the Imperial Eggs made by the House of...

Tiny Drawing of a Foot Is a Big Michelangelo Find

Rare, 5-inch drawing could fetch up to $2M at auction

(Newser) - A small chalk drawing of a foot is expected to fetch up to $2 million when it goes under the hammer at Christie's in New York in February. That's because, as Christie's explains, this foot has a place in one of the most famous frescos of all...

Tommy Lee Sells the Safe 'That Ruined My Life'

Box was once stolen, along with his and Pamela Anderson's sex tape

(Newser) - A safe once at the center of Hollywood's most notorious sex tape scandal has found a new owner. The metal box that once safeguarded the infamous Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson honeymoon sex tape sold at Julien's Auctions for $2,560—well below its $5,000 to $7,...

Rubens' Crucifixion Depiction, Lost for Centuries, Brings $2.7M

Unique work was recently discovered in a Paris townhouse

(Newser) - A long-lost painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, which was hidden for more than four centuries, sold for $2.7 million at an auction Sunday in Versailles. The painting, which depicts the crucifixion of Jesus, was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. It was part of a...

The 'Mona Lisa for Decorative Arts' Has Sky-High Price Tag

Faberge egg is expected to sell for more than $26M

(Newser) - A rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg crafted for Russia's ruling family before it was toppled by revolution is going up for auction, valued at more than $26.4 million. Christie's auction house says the Winter Egg is one of just seven of the opulent ovoids remaining in...

Watch That Stopped as Titanic Sunk Fetches Record Price

Pocket watch that belonged to Macy's co-owner Isidor Straus sells for $2.2M

(Newser) - An incredible relic from the Titanic surpassed expectations at auction. A pocket watch believed to have stopped the moment the ship went down sold for $2.2 million at auction in the UK on Saturday, reports the BBC . That's roughly a million more than expected, and a record for...

In Their Late Mom's Attic, the 'Pinnacle of Comic Collecting'

Family members sell 1939 Superman issue via Heritage Auctions for $9M-plus, a record sale

(Newser) - A nearly forgotten copy of the first Superman comic book, discovered in a California attic, has set an auction record by selling for upward of $9 million. The comic, published in 1939 by DC Comics and known as "Superman #1," was discovered by three brothers while clearing out...

Frida Kahlo Painting Sells for Record $54.7M at Auction

Self-portrait surpasses previous auction records for female artists, Latin American artists

(Newser) - Frida Kahlo's 1940 self-portrait, "El sueño (La cama)"—or "The Dream (The Bed)"—sold for $54.7 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Thursday, setting a new record for the most expensive work by a female artist ever sold at...

1642 Calculator Pulled From Auction in France

Court halts Christie's sale of device scientists call a 'national treasure'

(Newser) - A Paris court has halted the sale of one of the world's oldest known calculators, blocking its scheduled auction and export from France. The ebony-inlaid device, known as La Pascaline, was invented in 1642 by Blaise Pascal when the French mathematician was 19. Christie's had estimated it could...

We May Have Found the Titanic's Real 'Jack'

An auction will include diary, letter to 'Rose' penned by doomed 21-year-old passenger Ernest Tomlin

(Newser) - A century-old letter from a Titanic passenger mourning a lost love named Rose is up for auction, drawing comparisons to the fictional romance at the heart of James Cameron's blockbuster film. The five-page letter was written by 21-year-old Ernest Tomlin, a third-class passenger, just hours after he clambered aboard...

Solid Gold Toilet Auctioned for $12.1M
Solid Gold Toilet
Sells for $12.1M
Nov 19, 2025 2:00 AM CST

Solid Gold Toilet Sells for $12.1M

Titled "America," the artwork satirizes the ultrarich

(Newser) - A solid gold, fully functional toilet satirizing the ultrarich fetched $12.1 million at an auction Tuesday night, the AP reports. The toilet, by Maurizio Cattelan—the provocative Italian artist known for taping a banana to a wall —went up for auction at Sotheby's in New York. The...

This Is Now the Most Expensive Modern Artwork Ever Auctioned

6-foot-tall 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' sells for $236.4M

(Newser) - Gustav Klimt's ""Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" absolutely smashed pre-auction estimates Tuesday, selling for $236.4 million—the highest price of any work of modern art ever auctioned, and the second-highest price for auctioned art of any type, NBC News reports. (The most expensive piece ever is Leonardo...

Outcry Cancels Auction of Holocaust Artifacts

International Auschwitz Committee condemned bidding and urged 'basic decency'

(Newser) - A planned auction of Holocaust-related artifacts in Germany was canceled on Sunday after receiving widespread criticism from survivors' groups. The sale, organized by Felzmann auction house, was scheduled to feature documents and personal items belonging to Holocaust victims, including Nazi records, identification papers of Jewish refugees, and Stars of David...

Last Batch of Pennies Could Bring Millions at Auction

Five coins with special marks will be bid on by collectors

(Newser) - The final batch of US pennies, minted on Wednesday, could soon become among the most valuable coins in the nation's history, with experts predicting they could fetch up to $5 million each at auction. The historic event took place at the US Mint in Philadelphia, with Treasury Secretary Scott...

Napoleon's Lost Diamond Brooch Sells for $4.4M

Sale shatters pre-auction estimate

(Newser) - A diamond brooch that French emperor Napoleon lost while fleeing from the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at a Geneva auction on Wednesday, Sotheby's said. The brooch, which can also be worn as...

Secrets of Kryptos Are Up for Auction

Only the sculptor knew the message of CIA installation's 4th riddle, until the listing went up

(Newser) - When Jim Sanborn was commissioned to create a sculpture at CIA headquarters, he wanted to do something that spoke to its world of spies and secret codes. The result was a 10-foot-tall, S-shaped copper screen called "Kryptos" that resembles a piece of paper coming out of a fax machine....

Kahlo's Time 'Waiting for Death' May Have Inspired Painting

Artist's 'El sueño (La cama)' is up for auction at Sotheby's, expected to bring in up to $60M

(Newser) - Frida Kahlo's "El sueño (La cama)"—in English, "The dream (The bed)"—is causing a stir among art historians, as its estimated $40 million to $60 million price tag would make it the most expensive work by any female or Latin American artist when...

Mystery Over $10M Gold Toilet Seems to Be Solved

Mets boss Steve Cohen appears to be owner of the golden throne set to hit Sotheby's auction block

(Newser) - The art world's shiniest mystery has finally been flushed out: An infamous $10 million gold toilet is hitting the auction block , and the owner is none other than Mets boss and billionaire Steven Cohen, sources tell the New York Times . The 18-karat throne, crafted by conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan...

Fan Bailed on Nachos, May Get $1M Reward

Ohtani's home run ball goes up for auction

(Newser) - A split-second decision to abandon nachos paid off big for one Dodgers fan—and now, Shohei Ohtani's record-setting NLCS home run ball is up for auction. In Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, Carlo Mendoza found himself choosing between finishing his snack or chasing a piece of...

Will Ferrell's Elf Suit, Obi-Wan's Lightsaber Up for Grabs

Outfit from Christmas film classic headlines a London memorabilia auction, could bring in $260K

(Newser) - Will Ferrell's iconic green-and-yellow suit from the holiday favorite Elf is set to hit the auction block in London next month, and it's expected to fetch a sum even Santa might envy—more than $260,000. The Propstore Winter Entertainment Memorabilia auction will start the bidding at $65,...

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