Auction is a unique way of selling items through the process of bidding. Its different from the typical marketing set-up where seller and buyer negotiates in exchange of a product or goods through by purchasing the item, and giving the item sold to the buyer. In fact, this process can be traced back as early as 500 B.C. Auction came from the Latin word augeo which means I increase. Although there were different type of auctions, but the most common and used is the open ascending price auction which is being used in most of the auctions. It’s an advantage to the seller to put in auction the items that he or she wants to sell because the value could be re-priced than the actual cost when the item was bought.
In fact, the list below tells us the 10 most expensive auction items that transpired in the history.
Birds of America – $10 million
This is a book written by James Audubon who is also a known painter. It was auctioned at Sotheby where you could see natural collection of birds found in the United States. These are life-sized paintings of birds which were compiled into one book. The amazing information about it, they are all hand-colored and engraved in the plates.
1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – $12.2 million
The auction of the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa took place at RM Auctions in 2009, and it’s the most expensive car that was ever auctioned as well at RM. Despite that that this car just won the 4th place racing car battle out of the 19 international competition that it joined, nevertheless, it’s the most beautiful car that made it stand out among the rest. It was designed by Sergio Scaglietti from Italy.
Wittelsbach diamond – $23.4 million
It is the most expensive diamond in the world for having it sold for $23.4 million at Christie’s Auction House in 2008. It weighs 35.36 carats which was actually discovered in 17th century in Golkonda region in India. King Philippe IV from Spain purchased this diamond in 1664 as a dowry to Leopold I from Austria. Later on, it was bought by Laurence Graft as a known international jeweler thereafter.
The Dragon Armchair – $28 million
It was auctioned at Christie’s Auction House which became the most expensive chair in the world. It was designed by an Irish designer named Eileen Gray. It is actually vintage furniture which is very exquisite in details since its adornment is sculptured dragons found on its armrests. It was crafted between 1917 and 1919. It sets a unique record of price piece of vintage items in the 20th century.
Roman-era statue, Artemis and the Stag – $28.6 million
In 2007, this ancient Roman Art which ages for more than 2000 years was sold at Sotheby’s auction house that actually depicts the Greek goddess of hunting. This statue was discovered in 1920 when an ongoing project was being made that time.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Hammer – $30,802,500 million
In 1994, the Leonardo da Vinci’s records of thoughts, sketches, and musings in one journal were sold during an auction held at Christie’s auction house. It became the most expensive manuscript ever sold in the history. This hammer is the most popular manuscript that Da Vince had. The owner who won the bid for this Codex Hammer is none other than, Bill Gates, who is the co-founder of Microsoft.
Badminton Cabinet – $36 million
It holds the record of the most expensive furniture in the world. This cabinet was named after the Badminton in England since it had stayed in that place for more than two decades. It was sold in a bid held at Christie’s auction house in 2004 and it was bought by Prince Hans Adam II from Liechtenstein which was later donated and placed on display at Liechtenstein Museum located in Austria.
Qianlong Vase – $53 Million
This is the most expensive Chinese vase that was sold at Bainbridges Auction House in just 30 minutes of bidding. It was actually an 18th century origin that believed to be in present during the Qing Dynasty period under the reign of the 4th emperor. It is 16 inches tall, and you could find engravings of fishes that serve as its adornments.
L’Homme qui marche I – $104.3 million
This sculpture is 6 feet in height, and it’s entirely made of bronze. When the bidding at Sotheby’s auction house began, it started bid price was $27 million, and in just 10 minutes, the sculpture was sold for $104.3 million.
Pablo Picasso’s Undress, Green Leaves and Bust – $106.5 million
It is the creation of Pablo Picasso who is a known artist in 20th century. This piece became legendary because it was sold during bidding at Christie’s auction house in 2010. It is currently on display along with other Pablo Picasso’s paintings in Tate Britain in London.
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