We have earlier told you about the most happening auctions that kick started the year 2013, including the high end collectible cars, classic cars at RM Auctions Arizona 2013 and the expensive art sales that set the high-end art market abuzz in 2013. Now, take a look at some of the other upcoming auctions featuring antique documents, personal letters and sports memorabilia that is expected to woo the collectors.

Francis Crick’s letter to son about DNA

Expected Price: $2 million

An English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being a co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953 together with James D. Watson, the then 33-year old Francis Harry Compton Crick wrote a letter to his 12-year old son, describing his discovery of DNA with James Watson. Now the Noble Prize winner’s letter will show up at Christie’s auction block, where it’s expected to fetch as much as $2 million.

Francis Crick’s letter to son about DNA

Continue reading →

Noted for offering a wide and eclectic range of important and collectible-edition motorcycles like the 1906 Indian Camelback, the Fonzie’s Triumph Motorcycle from ‘Happy Days’, a vintage BMW Rennsport motorcycle, a 115-year-old Hildebrand & Wolfmuller motorcycle, the historic Garelli racing motorcycles, the 110 year-old Rambler Model B Indian motorcycle, and one of the world’s first motorcycles from 1899, to name a few, the auctioneer Bonhams is now offering a fully-restored 1931 Brough Superior S S80 motorcycle. Estimated to realize as much as $75,200 when it goes under the hammer at the International Classic MotorCycle Show on April 28th, the motorcycle in question actually won in a raffle more than 40 years ago. Besides, we have also seen the sale of other Brough Superior motorcycles including the 1922 Brough Superior ‘Old Bill’ which got sold for $468,963 to become the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction and the Brough Superior’s Retro Pendine hand-made motorcycle.

Fully-restored 1931 Brough Superior SS80 won with five-pence raffle ticket in 1972 is up for grabs

Continue reading →

Noted for offering a wide and eclectic range of important and collectible-edition motorcycles like the 1906 Indian Camelback, the Fonzie’s Triumph Motorcycle from ‘Happy Days’, a vintage BMW Rennsport motorcycle, a 115-year-old Hildebrand & Wolfmuller motorcycle, the historic Garelli racing motorcycles, the 110 year-old Rambler Model B Indian motorcycle, and one of the world’s first motorcycles from 1899, to name a few, the auctioneer Bonhams is now offering a fully-restored 1931 Brough Superior S S80 motorcycle. Estimated to realize as much as $75,200 when it goes under the hammer at the International Classic MotorCycle Show on April 28th, the motorcycle in question actually won in a raffle more than 40 years ago. Besides, we have also seen the sale of other Brough Superior motorcycles including the 1922 Brough Superior ‘Old Bill’ which got sold for $468,963 to become the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction and the Brough Superior’s Retro Pendine hand-made motorcycle.

Fully-restored 1931 Brough Superior SS80 won with five-pence raffle ticket in 1972 is up for grabs

Continue reading →

Back on February 22nd, during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States national ice hockey team made up of amateur, collegiate players and captained by Michael Eruzione, made history by defeating the heavy-favorite Soviet Union who had won nearly every world championship and Olympic tournament since 1954, in the famous medal-round men’s ice hockey game ‘Miracle on Ice’. And since the 4-3 ‘Miracle on Ice’ victory over the Soviets which is considered to be the greatest American sports moment of the 20th Century and a moment that transcended all geo-political boundaries, the equipment the then American captain Eruzione used had been sitting in a bag in his attic. Now, Michael Eruzione in an effort to help out his family and a charity organization auctioned his personal gear from those games. At the auction administered by Heritage Auctions in New York on Feb. 23, the day after the 33rd anniversary of the historic game, the historic jersey that Michael Eruzione wore when he scored the game-winning goal against the Soviet Union gold sold for $657,250, along with the stick for $262,900 he used and other notable sports memorabilia.

Mike Eruzione’s ‘Miracle on Ice’ hockey jersey fetches $657,250 at Heritage Auctions

Continue reading →

Rare comics associated with the Earth’s mightiest superheroes has always fetched handsome prices at the auctions, and this becomes apparent from the most expensive comic book auctions of all times, where the Tintin comic book cover fetches $1.6 million, the Amazing Spider-Man #328 Cover Art by Todd McFarlane sells for a record $657,250, and the Tintin Shooting Star artwork sold for $288,300. And now this trend continues with the sale of Spider-Man #121 Original Cover Art ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died’ for $287,000 as part of the Heritage Auctions’ Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature auction held in New York on February 21-23rd. The Seminal Spidey cover is notably regarded to be one of John Romita Sr’s true masterpieces, a piece-of-art that has only grown in popularity as Spider Man’s popularity soared in the last decade. Interestingly, the Spider-Man #121 Original Cover Art is the one that actually warned the world-wide readers the end of innocence in comics.

Amazing Spider-Man #121 cover ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died’ fetches $287,000 at Heritage Auctions

Continue reading →

Renowned as the most charismatic fashion and philanthropic figure, the late Princess Diana’s much vaunted trip to the U.S. with Prince Charles back in November 1985, was famously remembered for a White House gala dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy where the Princess took to the White House dance floor with movie-actor John Travolta and stole the show, wearing a midnight blue velvet gown and sapphire and diamond choker. Now that spectacular Diana-John Travolta dance dress she wore for the occasion, along with ten of her most iconic dresses that her son Prince William persuaded her to part with for charity, are set to be sold in London on March 19th. Besides, we also recently reported about the sale of Princess Diana’s armored Rolls Royce that carried her and Prince Charles to the White House to meet the U.S. President Ronald Reagan, along with the Princess Diana’s black taffeta dress known for her first official appearance after announcing her engagement to Prince Charles was sold for $276,000 by Kerry Taylor Auctions, the very same auctioneer now offering Diana’s 10 dresses.

Princess Diana’s Midnight-Blue Velvet Gown Worn To Dance With John Travolta in 1985 is up for grabsPrincess Diana’s Midnight-Blue Velvet Gown Worn To Dance With John Travolta in 1985 is up for grabs

Continue reading →

Historically, the world’s greatest military leader and the celebrated first emperor of France, Napoléon Bonaparte who revolutionized military organization and training, sponsored Napoleonic Code, reorganized education and established the long-lived Concordat with the papacy, actually went on to marry a 6-years older widow with two children Joséphine de Beauharnais on 9th March 1796, just days after proposing and announcing their engagement. Notably, the marriage was not well received by Napoleon’s family who were actually shocked that he had married an older window, and eventually ended up in a divorce in 1810, as Joséphine didn’t bear Napoleon any children. However, the widow of French aristocrat Alexandre de Beauharnais, Joséphine was not just the recipient of numerous love letters written by Napoleon, but also of several price jewels, including a simple diamond and sapphire engagement ring that Bonaparte offered to his first wife. Now, that very same gold ring topped by two pear-shaped stones will cross the auction block of auctioneer Osenat at Fontainebleau, south of Paris, on March 24th, where it’s expected to fetch as much as $16,000.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s engagement ring offered to his first wife Josephine goes on auction

Continue reading →

In the year 2012, we have seen that the United State’s first President George Washington’s personal Constitution and Bill of Rights got sold for $9.8 million, more than 3-times the highest pre-sale estimate, the 1823 printing of the Declaration of Independence for $597,500, the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington fetched $8.1 million at the Sotheby’s auction, all of these sales are clear evidence that collectors are willing to pay top prices for the White House Presidential memorabilia, American historical memorabilia and the important items associated with America’s most memorable presidents. And in an auction attended by roughly 400 people from across the U.S. and participated by a number of online bidders across the globe, thousands of items that belonged to longtime aide of President Kennedy got sold for as much as $2 million, thus further ensuring that avid collectors of Presidential memorabilia splash out huge amounts to expand their eclectic collections.

President John F. Kennedy’s items fetched up to $2M at auction 50 years after his assassination

Continue reading →

Cars any association with the ‘King of Cool’, Hollywood’s highest paid actor, a professional motorcycle and racing car enthusiast Steve McQueen, certainly makes them legendary, coveted and highly valuable among the avid car collectors. And this becomes apparent from the sale of Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta which was auctioned for $2.3 million, the 1970 Porsche 911S sold for $1.375 million, and the current sale offering of Steve McQueen’s Movie Car from his last movie “The Hunter”. And now a 1969 Lola T70 MKIII B with chassis number SL76/141, which officially starred in Steve McQueen’s iconic Le Mans movie, will be up for grabs at Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro & Classic Car Sale on February 23rd. However the Le Mans’ camera car, the rare and iconic 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage which underwent a meticulously fine restoration before it was displayed at the 2003 Goodwood Festival of Speed and was driven by racing icon Jackie Oliver, got sold for whopping $11 million by RM Auctions.

McQueen’s 1969 Lola T70 MKIII B from classic movie Le Mans

Continue reading →

Royalty and celebrities which favors the rare blue diamonds across the ages, now stands a chance to grab an exquisite blue diamond ring that epitomizes that ‘golden era’ of elegant simplicity at the Bonhams Fine Jewelry sale on 24th April 2013. This extremely rare and fancy deep-blue diamond is set in a ‘Trombino’ ring circa 1965 made by Bulgari, the world-acclaimed Italian jeweler favored by Hollywood film stars, and the epitome of design fashion and innovation during the 1960s. However, it’s interesting to note that blue diamonds are very rarely seen on the market and the sought-after fancy colored diamonds are now seeing a skyrocketing demand amongst collectors who have chosen to invest in natural colored diamonds. And it becomes apparent from the sale of rare blue diamond by Bonhams in year 2011 for $2.9 million, rare BVLGARI blue diamond was offered on sale for over $12 million at Christie’s, and another brilliant sky-blue diamond got sold for $6.4 million at Sotheby’s. Over the centuries, they have delighted the royals and ultra-elites, with the most famous being the ‘Hope Diamond’ bought by King Louis XIV of France, and is now one of the world’s most expensive diamonds.

Exquisite Bulgari blue diamond ring circa 1965 is expected to fetch over $2.3m at Bonhams auction

Continue reading →