auction

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Sale of Ohtani Home Run Ball Paused After Teen's Lawsuit

Lawyers for Max Matus, 18, say he originally retrieved the ball on Sept. 19, not man selling it

(Newser) - The baseball Shohei Ohtani hit to earn his 50th home run this season, making the LA Dodger the only player in the "50-50 club" —50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season—was set to go on the auction block Friday, with an opening bid of...

'Piece of Baseball History' Could Break Auction Record

Ball hit in home run by LA Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, putting him in the '50-50 club,' could go for millions

(Newser) - About 25 years ago, someone forked over a record $3.05 million for a baseball, hit by Mark McGwire for his 70th home run. That record may be broken in the coming days, thanks to a home run ball slammed by Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani—one that...

Magritte Painting Expected to Sell for More Than $95M

Smashing the record for a Magritte sale at auction

(Newser) - A rare painting by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte may set a record for the highest price ever paid for one of his works at auction. The painting is one from Magritte's series "L'empire des lumières" that he produced in 1954 (see it at Christie's...

Just 8 of These Exist. We the People Can Now Bid on It

Minimum bid for rare 237-year-old copy of US Constitution found in NC filing cabinet: $1M

(Newser) - Historical document appraiser and collector Seth Kaller spreads a broadsheet of paper across a desk. It's in good enough condition that he can handle it, carefully, with clean, bare hands. There are just a few creases and tiny discolorations, even though it's just a few weeks shy of...

Why Fight for the Iron Throne When You Can Just Buy It?

Hundreds of props from HBO's classic Game of Thrones are now going on the auction block

(Newser) - After eight seasons of the epic saga Game of Thrones, fans can now enter what may be a competition on par with the battle for the Iron Throne: an auction of prized memorabilia. Fans can bid on a slew of costumes, props, set pieces, and memorabilia from the hit show...

Indiana Jones Artifact Goes for $630K at Auction

Signature fedora was worn by Harrison Ford and his stunt double in Temple of Doom

(Newser) - A brown felt fedora worn by Harrison Ford—and his stunt double—in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has a new owner. The hat sold for $630,000 at auction in Los Angeles on Thursday, the BBC reports. The makeup residue on the sweatband, which could have been...

Woman Fails to Auction Off Her Quirky Collection

Mary Jacobs of England amassed 163 bedpans over the past 4 decades

(Newser) - Some auction items are hot. The gold bikini Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia fetched $175,000 on Friday, for instance. But some auction items are not. In the "not" camp comes a new quirky entry: an English woman's collection of bedpans. Mary Jacobs, 77, of Newmarket, England,...

Biggest Stegosaurus Fossil Ever Found Sells for $44.6M

Buyer says it 'was born in America and is going to stay in America'

(Newser) - A stegosaurus fossil found in Colorado two years ago has become the most valuable fossil ever sold, fetching $44.6 million at an auction in New York City. Sotheby's says the stegosaurus, nicknamed Apex, sold for more than 11 times pre-sale estimates, the BBC reports. Apex, found by fossil...

Pistols Napoleon Planned to Use to End His Life Are Sold

They were auctioned for $1.8M

(Newser) - As the story goes, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte intended to shoot himself on April 12, 1814, after he was forced to abdicate. But the BBC reports his grand squire, Armand de Caulaincourt, emptied Napoleon's two pistols of their gunpowder; he instead consumed poison but vomited and survived. Those pistols...

First Edition of Frankenstein Fetches a 'Hair-Raising Sum'

Heritage Auctions sets new high price for 3 beloved book titles

(Newser) - The only privately-owned first edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein became the pièce de resistance of a rare book auction over the weekend, selling for a "hair-raising sum" of $843,750, nearly triple the estimate, per UPI . Just three first editions of the horror novel are known to...

It's the Most Expensive Piece of Harry Potter Paraphernalia

Illustration for cover of first book sells for $1.9M

(Newser) - An original watercolor illustration for the cover of the first Harry Potter book has sold for $1.9 million at auction, making it the most expensive piece of Potter artwork ever, reports the BBC . The illustration for Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone shows Harry waiting for his train...

Einstein Came to Regret Letter That Could Now Fetch $4M

Christie's plans to auction 1939 note urging FDR to invest in atomic energy research

(Newser) - A signed copy of the letter Albert Einstein sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to fund the atomic energy research that would lead to the atomic bomb, will soon hit the auction block and set a new record if it sells, the Wall Street Journal reports. In September,...

Scientists Bristle at Auction of a Rare Stegosaurus

Critic argues 'the uber-wealthy will always be able to outbid museums'

(Newser) - The rich will battle next month to claim the first stegosaurus skeleton ever to be auctioned, per the BBC . Paleontologists, meanwhile, will be cringing. As paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Steve Brusatte tells the outlet, stegosaurus fossils are quite rare and this one is 70% complete. That's "incredible for...

This Feather Is Worth 40 Times Its Weight in Gold

Feather from extinct huia sells for $28K, becoming most expensive feather ever sold

(Newser) - Someone just paid nearly $30,000 for ... a feather. Granted, it's a rare and pretty feather, but still one worth more than 40 times its weight in gold. The most expensive feather ever sold, it comes from the long-extinct huia, "the largest of New Zealand's wattlebird species,...

Tennessee Judge Blocks Foreclosure Sale of Graceland

Temporary injunction means no one is buying the King's old digs on Thursday

(Newser) - A Tennessee judge on Wednesday blocked the auction of Graceland, the iconic former home of Elvis Presley, by a company that claimed his estate failed to repay a loan that used the property as collateral. As the AP reports, Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins issued a temporary injunction against the...

A Napkin That Spawned Messi's Epic Career Proves Pricey

Napkin bearing Barcelona's 2000 commitment to sign the future soccer legend sells for $965K

(Newser) - The famous napkin that linked a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona sold for $965,000 on Friday, British auction house Bonhams said, per the AP . An agreement in principle to sign the-then 13-year-old Messi was written on the napkin almost 24 years ago at a Barcelona tennis club. A more...

'Best Open Secret Ever' Could Sell for $72M

Butter magnate LE Bruun had asked that coin collection be safeguarded for 100 years before sale

(Newser) - The vast coin collection of a Danish butter magnate is set to finally go on sale a century after his death and could fetch up to $72 million. Lars Emil Bruun, also known as LE Bruun, stipulated in his will that his 20,000-piece collection be safeguarded for 100 years...

Watch of Titanic's Richest Passenger Brings $1.5M
Titanic Watch
Sells for Record
Apr 28, 2024 1:40 PM CDT

Titanic Watch Sells for Record

Gold timepiece belonged to John Jacob Astor, who died in the sinking

(Newser) - A 14-carat gold pocket watch owned by the Titanic's wealthiest passenger has sold for a record-breaking amount. Expected to bring about one-tenth of the winning bid, the watch went for $1.485 million at auction Saturday, CNN reports. That's a "world record for Titanic memorabilia," said...

This USS Enterprise Was Missing for Decades. Now, It's Home

First model of famous aircraft shown in 'Star Trek' credits is back with the Rodenberry family

(Newser) - The first model of the USS Enterprise—used in the opening credits of the original Star Trek television series—has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry's son decades after it went missing. The model's disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore,...

Man Pays Big to Be Laid to Rest Near Marilyn Monroe

Crypt near star's sells for $195K at auction, while used lipstick nabs $7K

(Newser) - Beverly Hills tech investor Anthony Jabin "always dreamt of being next to Marilyn Monroe for the rest of my life." He didn't quite make that dream a reality, but he got close. With a bid of $195,000, Jabin nabbed a mausoleum crypt one row above and...

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