By Madelia Hickman Ring, Photos Courtesy The Auction Houses
NEWTOWN, CONN. – ‘Tis the season once again to look back to see which records saw new title holders, which markets continue to be white-hot, and which make for unusual surprises. From vintage t-shirts to the new record holder for Latin American works of art, we have a varied sampling for readers to peruse. If it prompts an investigation of your closet, attic, basement or storage unit, so much the better. Drumroll please, and in no particular order, we give you:
Most Expensive Ancient Marble Statue
What: Ancient Roman marble statue dubbed “Hamilton Aphrodite”
Where: Sotheby’s London, single lot sale
When: December 7
How Much: $24.6 million (bought by an Asian private collector)
Why: Provenance no doubt played a part in interest in the 77½-inch work: it was originally owned by the Eighth Duke of Hamilton in Scotland, then it was acquired by William Randolph Hearst.
Sotheby’s London is at 34-35 New Bond Street. For information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive Firearm
What: Pat Garrett’s Colt single-action revolver, used to kill Billy The Kid
Where: Bonhams Los Angeles, “The Early West: The Collection of Jim & Theresa Earle”
When: August 27
How Much: $6,030,312.
Why: One of the most legendary guns in American history had never previously been offered for auction and proved irresistibly tempting to collectors.
Bonhams LA is at 7601 Sunset Boulevard. For information, www.bonhams.com.
Most Expensive Latin American Work Of Art
What: Self Portrait of Frieda Kahlo, titled “Diego y yo,” 1949
Where: Sotheby’s New York, Modern Evening Sale
When: November 16
How Much: $34.9 million (bought by Buenos Aires museum founder Eduardo F. Costantini, for his private collection)
Why: The artist’s last self-portrait, it is considered an important late work during a period in Kahlo’s life of intense physical suffering when her work became erratic.
Sotheby’s New York is at 1334 York Avenue. For information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive Document, Book, Manuscript Or Printed Text
What: The “Official” First Printing of the US Constitution, printed by Dunlap & Claypoole in Philadelphia, September 17, 1787
Where: Sotheby’s New York, Single-Lot Sale
When: November 18
How Much: $43.2 million (bought by Kenneth Griffin, CEO of Citadel)
Why: One of two remaining privately owned first-printing copies of the Constitution, it was underbid by an anonymous group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts who crowd-funded days before the sale.
Sotheby’s New York is at 1334 York Avenue. For information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive New Zealand Work Of Art
What: “A Peak in Darien” by Michael Parekowhai
Where: Art +Object, “Burr / Tatham Collection”
When: November 13
How Much: $1,445,358 (USD)
Why: One of the artist’s more significant and visually stunning and conceptually rigorous, the work was from a small edition of just three. It had been part of the artist’s 2011 Venice Biennale exhibition and subsequently in the collection of Adrian Burr and Peter Tatham, collectors and philanthropists whose standing in the New Zealand arts community was well-regarded.
Art + Object is at 3 Abbey Street, Newton, Auckland, New Zealand. For more information, www.artandobject.co.nz.
Most Expensive Vintage Rock & Roll T-Shirt
What: A Grateful Dead T-shirt, designed in 1967 by Allan “Gut” Terk
Where: Sotheby’s New York, “From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends”
When: October 14
How Much: $19,315 (bought by biker gang memorabilia collector Bo Bushnell)
Why: It was one of the earliest Grateful Dead shirts and came from the collection of Dan Healy, an audio engineer who often worked with The Dead. Terk was also a member of the Hell’s Angels, which doubtless inspired Bushnell to keep bidding.
Sotheby’s New York is at 1334 York Avenue. For more information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive Printed Work By A Woman
What: An uncut first edition 1818 printing of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Where: Christie’s New York, “The Exceptional Literature Collection of Theodore B. Baum, Part I”
When: September 13
How Much: $1,170,000
Why: One of just 500 first editions, and the first to come to market since 1985, the book was in unusually fine condition and retained its original board covers.
Christie’s New York is at 20 Rockefeller Plaza. For information, www.christies.com.
Most Expensive Sneakers
What: Pair of Nike Air Ship sneakers, worn by Michael Jordan in 1984
Where: Sotheby’s Las Vegas, “Icons of Excellence & Haute Luxury”
When: October 24
How Much: $1,472,000
Why: The pair was the earliest known regular-season game-worn sneakers that featured a design that predated the Air Jordan 1. The pair had been given by Jordan to Tommie Tim III Lewis, a ball boy for the Denver Nuggets during the 1984-85 season.
For information, www.sothebys.com
Most Expensive Video Game
What: Sealed copy of the 1996 Super Mario 64
Where: Heritage Auctions “Video Games Signature Auction”
When: July 9-11
How Much: $1,560,000
Why: The game had the highest possible grading: 9.8 A++ by Wata
Heritage Auctions is at 2801 West Airport Freeway in Dallas. For information, www.ha.com.
Most Expensive American Pottery Work
What: Dave Drake 25-Gallon Stoneware Jar
Where: Crocker Farm
When: August 7
How Much: $1,560,000 (bought by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art)
Why: The jar was one of the largest ever made by the enslaved potter, and one of only four examples with four handles. It had an unusual alkaline olive-green glaze and featured an extensive poem.
Crocker Farm is at 15900 York Road, Sparks, Md. For information, www.crockerfarm.com.
Most Expensive Comic Book
What: Amazing Fantasy No. 15, 1962
Where: Heritage Auctions, Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction
When: September 9
How Much: $3,600,000
Why: A grading by NGC of Near Mint+ 9.6, combined with the first appearance by Spiderman, combined to prove irresistible to bidders. It is one of only four known copies with such a high grading.
Heritage Auctions is at 2801 West Airport Freeway in Dallas. For information, www.ha.com.
Most Expensive Ceramic
What: Chinese imperial yangcai revolving phoenix vase, Eighteenth Century
Where: Poly Auctions Beijing
When: June 7
How Much: $41.6 million
Why: The vase featured revolving elements and a complex mechanism, all with superb craftsmanship.
Poly Beijing is at 1 North Chaoyangmen Street, Beijing. For information, www.polypm.com.cn.
Most Expensive Work By Tiffany Studios
What: Dandelion lamp, 1900
Where: Rago Auctions
When: May 13-14
How Much: $3,750,000
Why: Considered a masterpiece by auctioneer David Rago, the lamp was one of just three known to have been produced and, having been discovered in a Virginia home, was as fresh to the market as it is possible to be.
Rago Auctions is at 333 North Main Street, Lambertville, N.J. For information, www.ragoarts.com.
Most Expensive Coin
What: 1933 Double Eagle $20 gold coin
Where: Sotheby’s New York, “Three Treasures – Collected by Stuart Weitzman”
When: June 8
How Much: $18,872,000
Why: The 1933 Double Eagle never entered circulation and most were returned to the US Government and melted down. In 1944, a Secret Service investigation declared that any of them found in private hands would be considered stolen; a court battle between the US Treasury and a former owner took place over this coin, which was declared the only example legal to own. It set a record for a coin when it was auctioned in 2002, at $7.6 million.
Sotheby’s New York is at 1334 York Avenue. For information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive Hebrew Manuscript
What: Luzzatto High Holiday Mahzor, Southern Germany, late Thirteenth/early Fourteenth Century
Where: Sotheby’s New York, single lot sale, sold to benefit the Alliance Israélite Universelle
When: October 19
How Much: $8,307,000
Why: Deemed a scribal masterpiece and is written in a distinctive and elegant script. It is one of only a small number of illustrated mahzorim extent, none of which are known to be in private hands. Handwritten notes and annotations throughout the manuscript’s margins attest to its history through different countries and centuries.
Sotheby’s New York is at 1334 York Avenue. For information, www.sothebys.com.
Most Expensive Sports Trading Card
What: 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card
Where: Robert Edward Auctions
When: August 15
How Much: $6.6 million
Why: With only about 60 examples of the card known to exist, condition is key; the new record holder was graded SCG3. In an interview, Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions, told ESPN “This card is one of the best examples out there, and it’s certainly one of the best examples available.”
Robert Edward Auctions is at 245 Main Street #113, Chester, N.J. For more information, www.robertedwardauctions.com.
