The most expensive piece of work by a living artist sold at auction is Benefits Supervisor Sleeping by Lucian Freud (USA), which fetched $33.64 million (£17.27 million) at Christie’s in Manhattan, USA on 13 May 2008. The buyer was Roman Abramovich, the Russian Billionaire and owner of Chelsea F.C. Sources: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article3928558.ece http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7408211.stm

The most valuable work by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is one of only five copies of the First Folio dated 1623 printed by Isaac Jaggard and Ed. Blount, 1623 which was sold at Christie’s, New York, USA on 8 October 2001 for $6,166,000 (£4,156,947).  It is also the highest price ever paid for a 17th century book. The First Folio is considered by some to be the most important book in English literature and was sold as part of the Library of Abel E. Berland, a Continue reading →

In August 2003, Joni Rimm (USA) paid $50,000 (£31,000) at a charity auction for the privilege of one kiss with Hollywood actress Sharon Stone. Sharon auctioned the kiss in aid of Project Angel Foods – a Los Angeles based charity providing free meals for people with HIV and AIDS.

On 18 January 2006, it was announced that Star Trek actor William Shatner (USA) had sold a kidney stone that he had passed the previous year for $25,000 (then £12,700) to online casino GoldenPalace.com. Shatner donated the money from the sale to the Habitat for Humanity housing charity. The casino originally offered just $15,000 (£7,600) for the stone, but Shatner insisted it was worth more, adding that his Star Trek tunics have sold for over $100,000 (£50,800). The stone will join the online casino’s growing Continue reading →

The record for the most expensive jigsaw puzzle sold for a charitable art auction to benefit a non-profit organization The Golden Retriever Foundation at a bid of $27.000 (£14.589). The hand-crafted wooden jigsaw puzzle was custom made by Rachel Page Elliott (USA). The charity event was held at the Eisenhower Conference Centre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA on 28 September 2005. At the time, Rachel Page Elliot was 92 years old. She has lectured around the world, and just updated her world-renown book and video on canine Continue reading →

An original pair of Levi Strauss & Co (USA) 501 jeans aged over 115 years old were sold by Randy Knight (USA) to an anonymous collector (Japan) for $60,000,00 (£33,230) through internet auction site eBay on 15 June 2005. There are said to be only two or three complete pairs of authentic pre-1900 Levi’s 501 jeans in existence and these are the first pair found that is still wearable. This particular pair of jeans was found by four friends in an abandoned-silver mine in the Continue reading →

The Acapella Spharon Excalibur speakers cost $325,000 (£186,000) and can be fitted into living rooms having a minimum size of 40 m² (131 ft²) and consist of two pillars with four large 15 in (38 cm) woofers on each unit. Product Specifications: Efficiency: 100 dB/1W/1m Power handling: 100 watts (Peak handling of 1000 watts at 10 ms with no distortion) Recommended power output of the amplifier from: 15 watts Dimensions: 90.5 in x 59 in x 51.2 in (HxWxD) Weight: 1364 lb per speaker

The most expensive living artist is Jasper Johns (USA) whose painting, False Start (1959), was bought privately by Kenneth (USA) and Anne Griffin (France) for $80 million (£42 million) in October 2006.

On 3 December 2010, the earliest known map of the United States to be printed in America sold at auction at Christie’s, New York, USA, for $1.8 million (£1.1 million), via a phone bid. Taking commissions into account, the full price totalled $2,098,500 (£1,345,138). Created in 1784, the map came from the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society and is one of only seven such prints known to exist. It is also the first map printed in America to show the flag of the Continue reading →

Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA starring Siegfried Fishbacher and Roy Horn (both Germany) cost over $28 million (then £16 million) to stage when it opened on 1 February 1990. The show, which featured dozens of wild animals (including an elephant), a giant mechanical dragon which breathed fire and a cast of 60, closed after its 5,750th performance on 3 October 2003 after co- star, Roy Horn, was seriously injured by a white tiger called Montacore. Produced by Kenneth Feld & Continue reading →