Auctions

A Book of Ryhmes by Charlotte Bronte

Lost Charlotte Brontë Manuscript Sells for $1.25 Million

The tiny booklet contains the author's last unpublished poems

This 1588 portrait of Elizabeth I shows the queen after English troops successfully staved off an invasion by the Spanish Armada. It will be on view as part of a Sotheby's exhibition on British queens.

Iconic Portraits and Tiaras Tell the Stories of Britain's Indomitable Queens

As Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years on the throne, Sotheby’s takes a look back at royal history

In a screenshot from a short video posted to Instagram, performance artist Pepx Romero licks a work of ancient art at Mexico City's Museo Nacional de Antropología. 

Why Did This Artist Lock Lips With Ancient Works of Indigenous Mexican Art?

Pepx Romero kissed and licked centuries-old archaeological wonders to raise awareness of the ongoing, contested sale of pre-Hispanic treasures

Coin experts thought a medal honoring Revolutionary War hero Daniel Morgan had been lost forever, but it recently sold to the tune of nearly $1 million.

Long-Lost Medal Honoring Revolutionary War Hero Sells for Record-Breaking $960,000

The artifact, which honors General Daniel Morgan, went missing for years—then mysteriously turned up at an auction house specializing in coins and medals

The owners of Yves Klein's invisible art were encouraged to burn their receipts. The artist, meanwhile, threw half of the profits from the sale—paid in solid gold—into the Seine.

Anonymous Buyer Pays Over $1 Million for a Piece of Invisible Art

The receipt for one of Yves Klein's "Zones of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility" was described by Sotheby's as an early NFT

The lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong as part of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission in will be auctioned off with a number of space-related items, and is expected to fetch between $800,000 and $1.2 million at auction

Apollo 11 Moon Dust Samples Go Up for Auction Against NASA's Wishes

Auction house Bonhams is expecting around $1 million

Set to an asking price of $200 million, Pop artist Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is poised to become the most expensive 20th-century painting sold at auction.

Iconic Andy Warhol Portrait of Marilyn Monroe Could Sell for Record-Breaking $200 Million

One of the artist’s "Shot Marilyns," the sage blue silkscreen could become one of the most expensive 20th-century paintings ever sold at auction

Every wall, table and shelf in Elizabeth Meaders' three-story Staten Island home is crammed with pictures, posters, signs, statues, medals, sports memorabilia and military gear.

Why a Schoolteacher Spent 70 Years Collecting Thousands of Black History Artifacts

Elizabeth Meaders' acquisitions include sports memorabilia, civil rights posters, military paraphernalia and art

Earlshall Castle has hosted royalty over the years and sits on 34 acres of parkland and gardens. 

You Could Own a Possibly Haunted Castle Visited by Mary, Queen of Scots

Located in Fife, Scotland, the 16th-century Earlshall Castle boasts a rich history—and its very own ghost story

The Bonhams sale features more than 1,000 books from the late Supreme Court justice's personal library.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Personal Library Is Up for Auction

The late Supreme Court justice's collection includes novels, law books, notes and other documents dating back to her youth

The 55-faceted gemstone is believed to be the largest cut black diamond in the world.

A Huge Black Diamond, Purportedly From Outer Space, Is Now Up for Sale

The gem known as the 'Enigma' is expected to fetch around $7 million at auction, though experts are skeptical of its cosmic origin

Caravaggio's Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto (1597) is the only known ceiling work painted by the Baroque artist. 

Italian Mansion With 'Priceless' Caravaggio Mural Goes Up for Sale—but Attracts No Buyers

Villa Aurora, valued at $533 million, failed to garner bids despite touting a rare ceiling fresco by the Baroque artist

The T. rex specimen was discovered in 1987 by fossil hunter Stan Sacrison in South Dakota's Badlands.  

Dinosaur Fan Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Is Not Stan the T. Rex's Mystery Buyer

A cast of the prehistoric giant made a guest appearance from the actor's home office on ESPN's ManningCast

The image of the playwright on the title page is also just one of two portraits with "any claim to authenticity," according to the British Library. 

Shakespeare First Folio Acquired by the University of British Columbia

The volume is going on display at Vancouver Art Gallery as part of a new exhibition

Artifacts found in an attic in a Boston home consisted of items such as letters, tools and a trade sign, all believed to have been owned by the family of Paul Revere.

Sold: Paul Revere Family Artifacts Found in a Boston-Area Attic

A trade sign bearing the name of the patriot’s son, along with letters and personal items owned by his grandchildren, sold at auction for $20,000

Found among Steinhardt's stolen artifacts was the Larnax, a small chest that was used to store human remains. Dated to between 1200 and 1400 B.C.E., the chest originated on the island of Crete.

New York Antiquities Collector Returns 180 Stolen Artifacts Worth $70 Million

A deal made with the Manhattan district attorney bars billionaire Michael Steinhardt from purchasing ancient objects for the rest of his life

The simple coin design was quickly replaced, leaving only 40 or so surviving specimens today.

Found in a Candy Tin: One of the First Coins Struck in Colonial North America

Illegally minted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the 1652 silver shilling recently sold at auction for $351,912

The letter will be sold alongside a portrait of the Russian empress on December 1.

Catherine the Great Letter Extolling the Virtues of Vaccination Is Up for Auction

The Russian empress, who was inoculated against smallpox in 1768, was an early proponent of the practice

Attributed to Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin and Child With a Flower on a Grassy Bank, circa 1503

Sketch Bought at Estate Sale for $30 May Be Dürer Drawing Worth $50 Million

Dated to around 1503, the depiction of the Virgin and Child bears the Renaissance master's monogram and watermark

The rare document is one of only two surviving first printings of the Constitution held by private collectors.

Rare First Printing of the U.S. Constitution Is the Most Expensive Text Ever Sold at Auction

A collective of cryptocurrency owners attempted to buy the document but was outbid by Citadel CEO Kenneth Griffin, who shelled out $43.2 million

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