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THE GREATEST WINE SALE EVER ACHIEVES $21.9 MILLION

Monday, May 23rd, 2016

The wine sale in progress.

THE KOCH CELLARS

In what has turned out to be the greatest wine auction ever the cellar of William J. Koch achieved a total of $21.9 million over three days at Sotheby’s. This set a record for a wine collection sold at auction. It was a white glove sale with 2,729 lots 100% sold and buyers from 23 countries. Highlights included the sale of ten bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 for $343,000: six magnums of Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux 1989 Henri Jayer for $171,500 and 12 bottles of Montrachet Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1978 for $147,000.

William I. Koch commented: “Collecting and enjoying wine has been one of the great joys and loves of my life. It is very gratifying to see so many people from around the world that share my passion”.

Tags: sotheby's, WILLIAM J KOCH WINE
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OPPENHEIMER BLUE MAKES NEW WORLD RECORD

Thursday, May 19th, 2016

The Oppenheimer Blue

There was a new world record for any jewel sold at auction at Christie’s in Geneva on May 18 when the Oppenheimer Blue sold for US$57.5 million. The 14.62 carat stone was acquired after a bidding battle that lasted nearly 25 minutes. This was the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction. It was named in honor of its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer who for many year controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. By some reckonings only one in 200,000 stones mined is blue. The colour, clarity, traditional cutting style and provenance of this particular diamond is exceptional. It had been estimated at US$38-45 million.

Jewels from the collection of Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen totaled US$22.5 million and were 100% sold. The sale total was US$169,528,430.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for March 30 and 31, 2016)

Tags: Christie's, Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen, Oppenheimer Blue
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A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR ANY JEWELLERY SALE

Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

There was a new world record for any jewellery sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva on May 17. The auction of magnificent jewels and nobel jewel realized US$175,097,419. The auction was led by the Unique PInk, a rare fancy vivid pink diamond of 15.38 carats which sold for US$31,561,2000.

A new record was set also for an online purchase in a live auction at Sotheby’s when a pair of fancy blue and orangy pink diamond earrings sold for US$6 million. The auction was viewed online by people from 155 countries and there were participants from 45 countries, 25% of these from Asia. And there was a 41% increase in lots sold online compared to the equivalent sale last year.

David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “Exactly one year after having set the world record for a jewellery sale, Sotheby’s Geneva has raised the bar once again with a great sale and a great result for the Unique Pink. It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term Vivid Pink than this outstanding stone. The colour is simply astonishing and, for its size, it is in my experience truly unique. We set out to curate a sale that would speak to today’s collectors and the response has been overwhelming – confirmation, if ever it were needed, that when you have the right material, demand is as deep as it’s ever been. This was a sale that had the perfect mix of great gemstones and jewels, the vast majority of which were sourced from private collections.”

The Unique Pink sold for US$31.5 million.

These diamond earrings set an online record price of US$6 million at Sotheby’s.

Tags: online diamond auction record, Unique Pink
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AN AUCTION ENTIRELY DEDICATED TO CHATEAU PALMER

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016

The first-ever wine auction entirely dedicated to Château Palmer takes place at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on June 4. .The sale, titled Château Palmer Direct from the Château and the Cellars of Maison Mähler-Besse & Franck Mähler-Besse, will mark the auction debut of a 225-litre barrel of Château Palmer 2015, a vintage that has not yet been released. The winning bidder will have the opportunity to choose bottle sizes and the chance to have their name printed on the back label. The barrel equates to 25 cases or 300 regular size (0.75L) bottles. The estimate is HK500,000-700,000 / US$65,00-90,000 / £45,000-63,500.

The sale represents a historic journey through time going back to 1928 and spanning 87 years through to 2015. The total estimate for the 220 lots is HK7.7-12.4 million / US$980,000-1.6 million / £700,000-1.1 million. The estate of Château Palmer was established in 1814, when it was acquired by Charles Palmer, a British Major General who instilled his namesake to see it become renowned throughout London’s aristocratic circles. Château Palmer was ranked among the most prestigious classified growths of the 1855 Bordeaux classification, which stands as the most important and famous classification of any wine region in the world. In 1938, a consortium of four leading families in the Bordeaux wine trade acquired the estate.

The 225 litre barrel of Chateau Palmer 2015

Chateau Palmer 1959

Tags: Chateau Palmer, Sotheby's Hong Kong
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THE LARGEST FANCY VIVID BLUE DIAMOND EVER OFFERED AT AUCTION

Thursday, March 31st, 2016

The Oppenheimer Blue, the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever offered at auction, comes up at Christie’s in Geneva on May 18. Weighing 14.62 carats and named in honor of its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer, it is estimated at US$38-45 million.

Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who began working at the family business at De Beers in 1934, controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. He was head of the Central Selling Organisation for 45 years and served as chairman of the diamond trading company branch. He oversaw a diamond trade cartel set up by De Beers to keep strict control over diamond supply worldwide.

Today he is remembered as a master negotiator and the foremost architect of stability in the international diamond industry. The extreme scarcity of strongly coloured blue diamonds means that records continue to be broken each year. Last November a 12 carat fancy vivid blue diamond sold for $48.5 million at Sotheby’s in Geneva.

UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR US$57.5 MILLION

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for November 12, 2015)

Tags: Christie's, Fancy Vivid Blue Diamonds, Sir Philip Oppenheimer
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LARGEST FANCY VIVID BLUE DIAMOND EVER TO APPEAR AT AUCTION

Friday, March 11th, 2016

The De Beers Millennium Jewel 4.

The largest oval fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction – the De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 – will lead Sotheby’s Spring sales in Hong Kong on April 5. Th2 10.10 carat internally flawless stone is estimated at US$30-35 million. Offered for sale from an Asian private collection it is the only oval-shaped stone among the twelve rare diamonds – eleven blue and one colourless – that form the world-renowned De Beers Millennium Jewels collection unveiled in 2000 in celebration of the millennium. Each of the eleven blue diamonds in the collection boasts a combination of colour intensity, even saturation and brilliance that are rivalled by few other stones.

QUEK Chin Yeow, Deputy Chairman, Asia, and Chairman International Jewellery, Asia, said, “Over the years Sotheby’s has had the honour to bring to the market many important coloured diamonds, including the Blue Moon of Josephine that set the world auction record for any diamond last November. The market for coloured diamonds has gone from strength to strength”.

UPDATE: It sold for US$31.8 million, the highest price ever paid for a jewel at auction in Asia.

Tags: De Beers, Millennium Blue Diamond, sotheby's
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BOND’S ASTON MARTIN MAKES £2.43 MILLION

Friday, February 19th, 2016

The Aston Martin DB10 with Daniel Craig.

The top lot at the first part of Christie’s sale of James Bond Spectre Memorabilia in London last night was Bond’s Aston Martin which made £2,434,500. The sale realised £2,785,500. All profitable proceeds are for charity. The auction of ten lots was to celebrate the Home Entertainment release of Spectre on Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 22. Proceeds are for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), other charitable organisations and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). Registered bidders from 25 countries across four continents took part. Afterwards producer Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli commented that they were truly delighted that the money raised will help vital medical projects in South Sudan, Syria and Yemen and thanked Aston Martin for donating the Aston Martin DB10. It is one of a series designed and engineered exclusively for James Bond Spectre. The Day of the Dead costume worn by Daniel Craig made £98,500. Spectre is the 24th film in the James Bond series.

The online-only auction of 14 lots, James Bond Spectre: Online, remains open for bidding until February 23 at www.christies.com/spectreonline Estimates are from £1,000 to £7,000.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for January 21, 2016)

Tags: Aston Martin, Christie's, James Bond, Spectre
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THE EVANGELISTS – A QUARTET OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Thursday, February 18th, 2016

The Evangelists, a unique quartet of musical instruments, will be offered at auction by Ingles and Hayday in London in March. Attached is a video of the Ruisi Quartet playing these exceptional instruments. Between 1863 and 1872 the famous French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume made a number of instruments dedicated to saints. It is believed that he produced around a dozen instruments, of which nine survive. They are known as ‘The Apostles’. The first four, and the most celebrated, date from 1863, when Vuillaume made the quartet known as ‘The Evangelists’. Made from matching wood it is the only one of Vuillaume’s celebrated quartets still together as a set today. Each has a carved tailpiece, depicting one of the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The set has been in private European collections since about 1970, immaculately preserved and played only occasionally. The estimate is £600,000-800,000 and the auction is on March 15.

Tags: Ingles and Hayday, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume
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FIRST WORLD WAR RECRUITMENT POSTERS AT THE HUNT

Sunday, February 7th, 2016

Answer the Call is the title of an exhibition of powerful First World War recruitment posters at the Hunt Museum in Limerick until March 11. On loan from the National Museums of Northern Ireland these posters illustrate various aspects of the drive for recruitment between 1914-1918. In the year of the centenary of The Rising this is a particularly timely show which is well worth going to see. hunt 3

Tags: Answer the Call, Hunt Museum
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THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAR EVER SOLD AT AUCTION

Saturday, February 6th, 2016

The most expensive car ever sold at auction

There was a world record for a car sold at auction when a Ferrari Scaglietti made 32 million euro at Artcurial in Paris last night. An international bidder acquired the iconic 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti, from the Pierre Bardinon Collection. It was sold with considerable theatricality. The lights were dimmed, the room became silent, as the car, positioned in front of the podium, was brought in. Bidding began at 20 million euros and had reached 26 million within minutes as bidders on the telephone and in the room joined in battle. It took another ten minutes before a bidder in the room triumphed over the only remaining telephone bidder.

As the car left the managing director of Artcurial Motorcars Matthieu Lamoure declared: “This exceptional Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti #0674 has achieved the highest auction price in international history, here in France, the home of the automobile, and in Paris, the world’s capital for collectors’ cars during the winter season”.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for October 21, 2015)

Tags: Artcurial Motorcars, Ferrari Scaglietti
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