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Auctions

Auctions
Reporting on the latest auctions of luxury goods, including watches, handbags, high jewellery and fine art
A rare Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama pumpkin bag sells for US$68,000 at an online bidding on Sunday. Photo: Hotlotz
Singapore

First Singapore money laundering auction brings in US$862,000

The frenzied bidding is in sharp contrast to the lacklustre reception for luxury real estate tied to the same illicit network.

Royalty

Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ goes on show amid clash between brother and Charles

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Royalty

Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ up for auction for first time in decades

Books and literature

Investing in rare books is trending – including among celebrities

Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg are among today’s collectors of rare books, as buyers seek meaningful, tangible literary treasures.

Rare book dealer Peter Harrington has shops in London and New York. Photo: Handout
Singapore

Singapore to auction luxury goods, properties from money laundering case

Island-wide raids in August 2023 uncovered millions of dollars earned from an illicit gambling ring run by Chinese suspects.

Art

Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist famous for pumpkins and polka dots, dies aged 97

The avant-garde artist, who enjoyed a strong following in Hong Kong, died on August 14 at a hospital in Tokyo due to multiple organ failure.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ football sells for US$3.35 million

Match ball from 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England falls well short of US$10 million estimate.

The football with which Diego Maradona scored his 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew’s Montblanc pen sells for US$360,000 in Singapore auction

The sterling silver Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen drew 111 bids and sold for nearly 10 times its highest valuation.

Americas and the Caribbean

Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball heads to US auction

The football used by the Argentinian legend to score his infamous goal in the 1986 World Cup is expected to fetch US$10 million.

Timepieces

5 top watch moments in July, from Wimbledon wrist game to an F.P. Journe for auction

Former Audemars Piguet CEO unveils a new brand, IWC and Longines lean into blue dials, and a US watch retailer sues over Trump tariffs on Swiss imports.

Phillips is auctioning a pre-production F.P. Journe; Andrew Garfield sports the IWC Ingenieur 35 Pool Blue at Wimbledon; Longines releases the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve in light blue. Photos: Wirelmage; Handouts
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.

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
United States

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

The skeleton – one of the most complete of its kind in the world – was sold after a 10-minute bidding war between seven potential buyers.

France

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

Bids for the one-of-a-kind piece fall well short of the US$500,000 estimate despite its prehistoric origins.

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.

The Ethereal Jadeite Necklace is the centrepiece of Christie’s Hong Kong’s Magnificent Jewels auction on May 26, part of Hong Kong Luxury Week. Photo: Handout
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.

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.

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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.

Charity founder Peri Cochin speaks on the phone with the raffle winner in Paris, France, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

Christie’s auctioneer Rahul Kadakia and his billion-dollar gavel. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
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.

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.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s 1940 work El sueño (La cama) sells at Sotheby’s new home at the Breuer in New York for US$54.7 million including fees on November 20, 2025. Photo: Julian Cassady
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.

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.

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