https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/auctions/RSS feed for AuctionsenFri, 17 Jul 2026 21:11:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/luke-skywalkers-lightsaber-and-severed-hand-from-famed-darth-vader-duel-sold-for-a-record-more-than-3-million-at-auction-180989144/The item, which became the most-valued on-screen Star Wars prop ever sold at auction, was born from cast-off parts from a camera shopFri, 17 Jul 2026 21:11:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/luke-skywalkers-lightsaber-and-severed-hand-from-famed-darth-vader-duel-sold-for-a-record-more-than-3-million-at-auction-180989144/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/buzz-aldrin-used-this-humble-felt-tip-pen-to-save-the-apollo-ii-astronauts-it-just-sold-for-more-than-850000-180989142/In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module "Eagle" after the switch broke off during the moon landingThu, 16 Jul 2026 21:22:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/buzz-aldrin-used-this-humble-felt-tip-pen-to-save-the-apollo-ii-astronauts-it-just-sold-for-more-than-850000-180989142/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-t-rex-fossil-could-fetch-the-largest-sum-of-any-dinosaur-ever-auctioned-scientists-worry-theyll-lose-the-chance-to-study-it-180989114/Bids on "Gus" will start at $19 million, a steep price for public institutions. Specimens in private collections can be harder for researchers to examine, and they're practically impossible to include in studies in top-tier scientific journalsMon, 13 Jul 2026 20:13:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-t-rex-fossil-could-fetch-the-largest-sum-of-any-dinosaur-ever-auctioned-scientists-worry-theyll-lose-the-chance-to-study-it-180989114/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/like-an-explosion-in-a-glass-factory-frank-gehrys-seven-ton-icehenge-desk-that-once-graced-a-skyscraper-is-up-for-auction-180989087/Designed for the Inland Steel Building in Chicago, the desk is made from more than a dozen blocks of jagged, green-tinted glassWed, 08 Jul 2026 18:23:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/like-an-explosion-in-a-glass-factory-frank-gehrys-seven-ton-icehenge-desk-that-once-graced-a-skyscraper-is-up-for-auction-180989087/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vintage-read-posters-adorning-libraries-and-classrooms-for-decades-go-on-auction-as-the-american-library-association-turns-150-180989057/Taylor Swift, Serena Williams and famous fictional characters lent their iconic faces to encourage people to pick up a bookWed, 01 Jul 2026 19:30:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vintage-read-posters-adorning-libraries-and-classrooms-for-decades-go-on-auction-as-the-american-library-association-turns-150-180989057/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-began-a-biblical-painting-another-artist-finished-it-rather-crudely-now-restorations-have-revealed-the-long-lost-original-180989045/An art dealer stumbled across "Let the Little Children Come Unto Me" at a German auction house in 2014. Experts have now carefully removed layers of overpaint from the forgotten masterpieceTue, 30 Jun 2026 19:10:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-began-a-biblical-painting-another-artist-finished-it-rather-crudely-now-restorations-have-revealed-the-long-lost-original-180989045/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sold-for-just-5588-this-amber-pendant-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-tudor-era-portrait-of-elizabeth-i-now-its-going-on-auction-for-100000-180989048/A master craftsman carved the likeness around 1600, possibly as a commission from the English monarch herself. A parrot on the back of the heart-shaped object symbolizes Elizabeth's status as a "virgin queen"Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:19:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sold-for-just-5588-this-amber-pendant-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-tudor-era-portrait-of-elizabeth-i-now-its-going-on-auction-for-100000-180989048/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-edition-of-emily-brontes-wuthering-heights-contained-incorrect-page-numbers-missing-punctuation-and-three-misspellings-of-the-word-heights-180989005/The haunting story set against the Yorkshire moors would become one of the most renowned novels of the 19th century. Now, a rare first-edition copy is heading to auctionWed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-edition-of-emily-brontes-wuthering-heights-contained-incorrect-page-numbers-missing-punctuation-and-three-misspellings-of-the-word-heights-180989005/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-claude-monet-planted-water-lilies-inspiration-struck-an-upcoming-auction-will-test-how-much-collectors-prize-the-floral-masterpieces-180988947/The marquee painting from Monet’s "Nymphéas" series is expected to fetch more than $40 million at auction later this monthFri, 12 Jun 2026 20:48:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-claude-monet-planted-water-lilies-inspiration-struck-an-upcoming-auction-will-test-how-much-collectors-prize-the-floral-masterpieces-180988947/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-help-from-ai-a-family-realized-their-mysterious-thrift-store-find-is-a-portrait-by-a-great-scottish-painter-180988948/The oil painting, the work of "Scottish Colorist" FCB Cadell, just sold at auction for more than $250,000Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:54:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-help-from-ai-a-family-realized-their-mysterious-thrift-store-find-is-a-portrait-by-a-great-scottish-painter-180988948/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-medieval-manuscript-telling-tales-of-king-arthur-in-ink-and-polished-gold-thats-headed-to-auction-180988835/The manuscript was made by a skilled, anonymous artist between 1290 and 1310. It's the oldest of only three privately owned Vulgate Cycle manuscriptsWed, 27 May 2026 19:29:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-medieval-manuscript-telling-tales-of-king-arthur-in-ink-and-polished-gold-thats-headed-to-auction-180988835/