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Auctions

Auctions
Reporting on the latest auctions of luxury goods, including watches, handbags, high jewellery and fine art
A silver Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen belonging to Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is valued at S$30,000 (US$23,000) to S$50,000 (US$39,000). Photo: Handout
Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew’s fountain pen valued at US$23,000-US$39,000 up for auction

The engraved ‘SM Lee Kuan Yew’ Montblanc fountain pen was previously estimated to be worth several thousand dollars at a 2003 auction.

United States

‘Gus’ the T. rex fetches record US$50.1 million at US auction

France

Bag made from ‘T. rex leather’ fails to sell at Paris auction

Jewellery

Spirited bidding, rare gems: inside Hong Kong’s jewellery auction revival

Fierce bidding drove record jewellery auction results last year, with Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels on the block – and spring 2026 is following suit.

Cartier’s Tutti Frutti necklace sold at Sotheby’s. Hong Kong’s auction houses posted record results in the second half of 2025. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Christie’s Hong Kong Luxury Week features a jadeite masterpiece

The week of sales coincides with the house’s 40th anniversary in the region and puts stand-out wines, handbags and watches in the spotlight.

Art

The Great Wave sale highlights Hong Kong’s art market resilience

Despite overall cooling, Hong Kong’s art market shows resilience – the top end remains intact, and the lower price brackets stay steady.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong, East Asia’s thriving art hub – from Art Basel to West Kowloon

The city’s multicultural and hybrid nature, and stunning spaces like M+, help retain its position at the heart of the region’s art world.

A painting by Hong Kong artist Chow Chun-fai depicting the handover in 1997 is exhibited at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
Art

Stunned Frenchman wins US$1 million Picasso with US$117 raffle ticket

Sales engineer Ari Hodara wondered if it was a hoax when he got a call after the draw at Christie’s auction house in Paris.

Art

Sold-out auctions suggest Hong Kong’s art market is back. But is it?

‘White glove’ sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s March Hong Kong auctions are cause for optimism, but must be put into perspective.

Art Basel

Hong Kong’s live art auctions are thriving thanks to Picasso and Nara

A shift in 2025 saw collectors driving demand for rare, high-quality pieces while millennials and Gen Z bidders helped broaden participation.

Can’t Wait ’til the Night, by Yoshitomo Nara, was sold by Sotheby’s for HK$79.9 million (US$10.19 million). Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents a history of abstract art

From ancient artefacts to Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko, “Beyond the Abstract” is the most sweeping survey of abstract art ever shown in Greater China.

Beijing Circus by Sanyu is among the highlights of “Beyond the Abstract”, an exhibition at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
My Obsession

‘We didn’t play with toys, we played with jewels’: meet the man born for the rostrum

The newly appointed president of Christie’s Asia Pacific talks about his favourite part of life as a showman.

United States

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

The 66-million-year-old fossil, for sale on musician Pharrell Williams’ auction platform Joopiter, is expected to fetch up to US$5.5 million.

Hong Kong society

‘H’ races to riches: car plate fetches HK$20 million at Hong Kong auction

Other high bids at Sunday’s Chinese New Year auction include plates ‘30’ at HK$4.55 million, ‘101’ at HK$1.01 million and ‘2288’ at HK$470,000.

The auctioneer gestures as the “H” plate goes up for sale at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Photo: Handout
United States

Unique Pokemon card smashes world record with US$16.5 million sale

Previously bought by US YouTuber Logan Paul for US$5.28 million in 2021, the card sold for three times that amount at an auction on Monday.

The Pokemon card that fetched a record US$16.5 million at an auction in the US on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Art

Big 3 auction houses report uptick in 2025 sales, but Asia still lagging

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips report combined projected total revenue of US$14.1 billion for 2025 as the US leads the way.

Fame and celebrity

Amy Winehouse’s dad sues star’s friends for selling her clothes for US$970,000

Two women say the British singer had lent or given them dozens of items before she died.

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Art

The ‘Mona Lisa’ of Faberge eggs sells for a record US$30.2 million

The Winter Egg, made of crystal and diamond, was crafted for Russia’s royal family before it was toppled by revolution.

The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie’s auction rooms in London on Thursday. Photo: AP
Wealth: Alternative Investments

Vetting collectibles, such as whiskies and watches, is a serious business

The market is growing briskly, but vigilance is vital to ensure that assets are authenticated and carefully protected ahead of a sale.

Supported by
BNP Paribas Wealth Management
Architecture and design

Animal print interiors: expert tips on how to keep them classy

Long tied to glamour and excess, animal prints are back – here’s how to use them to add energy and character to modern homes.

Icons and Influencers

Legacy of Vogue Italia’s Franca Sozzani honoured at inaugural Franca Fund Gala

Co-hosted by Anna Wintour, the event included a fundraising auction and drew guests including Gisele Bündchen and Miuccia Prada.

Francesco Carrozzini and Anna Wintour co-hosted a gala to pay homage to the legacy of Carrozzini’s mother, the late Franca Sozzani. Carrozzini is also Wintour’s son-in-law. Photo: Getty Images
Art

Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait breaks auction record for female artists

The sale at Sotheby’s in New York also topped Kahlo’s own auction record for a work by a Latin American artist.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s 1940 self-portrait “El sueno (La cama)“ sold on November 20 at Sotheby’s new home at the Breuer in New York for $54.7 million including fees. It became the top-selling work by any female artist at an auction. Photo: Julian Cassady/Alive Coverage
France

Christie’s suspends Paris sale of world’s ‘first calculator’ invented in 1642

Export ban halts the sale of inventor Blaise Pascal’s historic calculator, as scientists demand artefact receive ‘national treasure’ status.

Art

Solid gold toilet snapped up for US$12.1 million at New York auction

The fully functional 18-karat gold toilet was designed by provocative Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Jewellery

Hong Kong’s autumn high jewellery auctions: rare gems and record-breaking sales

The season climaxes this month at Christie’s, with strong demand at Sotheby’s for jewels by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari.

Harry Winston Peacock Brooch. Photo: Christie’s
American cinema

Wicked Witch’s hat from The Wizard of Oz to go up for auction

The wool hat will be sold alongside Dorothy’s ruby slippers and a signed Wizard of Oz book at a major memorabilia sale in Dallas next month.

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1949 film The Wizard of Oz. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Crime

UK seizes US$15 million in dinosaur bones from Chinese money-laundering suspect

The Chinese businessman was previously wanted for involvement in Singapore’s biggest money-laundering case but has since struck a deal.

Profile

She once tried med school. Now she sells multimillion-dollar art every day

The auctioneer tells of her journey from med school to the art world, and explains how she stays on top of everything the day artworks go under the hammer.

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