GPB Passport icon GPB Passport icon Passport
GPB donate icon GPB donate icon Donate
Sign Up For Our Newsletter

News Articles: auctions

A woman looks at artist Maurizio Cattelan's piece of art <em>Comedian</em> during an auction preview at Sotheby's in New York on Nov. 11, 2024.

A duct-taped banana sells for $6.2 million at an art auction

A piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.2 million at an auction Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

|
By:
  • The Associated Press
A 150 million-year-old fossil of a stegosaurus specimen is shown at Sotheby's in New York. The fossil, dubbed "Apex" by the paleontologist who discovered it, is expected to fetch $4 million to $6 million at auction, making it one of the most expensive fossils ever sold.

A stegosaurus fossil could fetch $6 million at Sotheby's. Should they be auctioned?

Sotheby's is presenting one of the most complete skeletal remains of a Jurassic creature. But some people say such specimens should not be auctioned.

|
By:
  • Andrew Mambo
The mechatronic model features 85 points of movement.

An original model of E.T. is sold at auction for $2.56 million

The original mechatronic model of the alien from Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial headlined a weekend auction of Hollywood artifacts.

|
By:
  • Ashley Ahn
An image shows the first page of the first printing of the final text of the U.S. Constitution<strong>. </strong>The rare document will go up for auction in December, Sotheby's announced on Tuesday.

A rare copy of the first printing of the U.S. Constitution is going up for auction

The document last went up for auction in 1894. After the new auction was announced, the group that crowdfunded an attempt to buy a similar copy last year told NPR, "We're looking into it."

|
By:
  • Bill Chappell
A jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA championships has sold at auction for $10.1 million.

A Michael Jordan jersey is sold for over $10 million, setting a new record

The basketball legend wore the jersey during the 1998 NBA finals, which would cap the Chicago Bulls' historic championship run in the 1990s. The sale price set a record for game-worn collectibles.

|
By:
  • Juliana Kim
A jacket worn by astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the historic first mission to the moon's surface in 1969, was sold for nearly $2.8 million at auction.

Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 moon jacket sells at auction for an astronomical $2.8M

The $2,772,500 paid for the Apollo 11 Inflight Coverall Jacket is the highest for any American space-flown artifact sold at auction, according to Sotheby's, which handled the sale.

|
By:
  • The Associated Press
A Sotheby's New York employee demonstrates the size of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur skeleton on Tuesday in New York.

A 76 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton will be auctioned in New York City

All of the other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in museum collections, making this one the only specimen available for private ownership, Sotheby's said.

|
By:
  • The Associated Press
The Argentina football shirt worn by Diego Maradona in the 1986 Mexico World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and England, is displayed for photographs at Sotheby's auction house, in London, on April 20. The shirt worn by Maradona when he scored the controversial "Hand of God" goal has sold for $9.3 million.

Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt fetches $9.3M at auction, a sports memorabilia record

The shirt was worn by the Argentine soccer legend when he scored the controversial "Hand of God" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.

|
By:
  • The Associated Press
Dan Newman, left, the founder of Alaska Premier Auctions and Appraisals, and Nick Cline, a business partner, pose Friday in Anchorage with the "Americus Australis," thought to be one the largest gem-quality opals in existence.

Alaska auction to feature brick-sized opal that has been stashed away for years

The "Americus Australis" gem weighs more than 11,800 carats and is one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence. It also has a long history.

|
By:
  • The Associated Press
Banksy's "Love is in the Bin" (2018) is installed at Sotheby's on September 03, 2021 in London, England.

A half-shredded Banksy piece is auctioned for $25.4 million, a record for the artist

"Love is in the Bin" made history when it was created during a 2018 auction. The crowd back then was shocked when a shredder activated as soon as the sale was complete, partly shredding the piece.

|
By:
  • Sharon Pruitt-Young
The Nobel Prize gold medal during manufacture at the Swedish Mint. Each laureate receives the medal, which has the likeness of Alfred Nobel on its face.

'Auctions Are Everywhere': 2020 Economics Nobel Goes To 2 Americans

Stanford's Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson are honored for their "inventions of new auction formats." Auctions are now used to price Internet ads, wholesale electricity and fishing permits.

|
By:
  • Scott Horsley and
  • Mark Katkov