A $977,000 Mac Pro and The Other Top Selling Items At Jony & Marc's RED Auction.

On Saturday night, 44 special design items were auctioned at Sotheby's Jony and Marc's (RED) Auction to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. Brought to you by Marc Newson, Bono & Jony Ive, the event raised an incredible $12,883,000 USD (more than double that when you add the Gates' Foundation donation) with many items going for far above the estimate.





The 44 items in the auction were a combination of specially designed items by Jony Ive and Marc Newson and their favorite vintage and new design items.

The hugely successful (RED) auction raised $26.2 million to fight against AIDS in Africa. The auction was 100% sold and three lots were sold for more than $1.5 million each. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matched the auction total of just over $13 million.

From Steinway Grand to custom Airstream trailer, here's a look at the 10 (actually there are 11, since a few went for the same price) items that sold for the most money at the auction.

1. $1,925,000:




2. $1,805,000




3. $1,685,000



4. $977,000



5. $845,000



6. $485,000




7. $461,000 (tied with #8)




8. $461,000 (tied with #7)




9. $425,000




10. $365,000 (tied with #11)




11. $365,000 (tied with #10)



Other items worth noting, because I like them and hey, this is my blog, are the following:

George Lucas Signed Stormtrooper Helmet:

A Stormtrooper Helmet from the "Star Wars" Series Signed by George Lucas for the (RED) Auction 2013. ABS. In original cardboard "Star Wars" Stormtrooper box.
Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 245,000 USD

Cosmonaut Suit That Went Into Space:

A "Zvezda" Cosmonaut Suit Worn on a Soviet Space Agency Mission into Space
Fabric with rubber lining
1990, Produced by RD & PE Zvezda, Russia
Estimate 50,000 — 75,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 305,000 USD

Dom Perignon with Special Label and Case:

Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1966 Magnum in Custom Red Cooler Designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. The red cooler is unique to, and created for, the (RED) Auction 2013. The cooler is edition 01/01. Dom Pérignon has created a unique red foil label for the Œnothèque Magnum.
Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 93,750 USD

Christian Louboutin's Custom Boots:

Unique to, and created for, the (RED) Auction 2013. Edition 01/01. The pair of boots will be made to size for the buyer.
Patent leather, 2013
Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 50,000 USD

Quadrophenia Lambretta Scooter Replica:

An Exact Replica of Jimmy's Lambretta from the film "Quadrophenia"
Signed by Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey for the (RED) Auction 2013.
Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 209,000 USD

The star-studded crowd of more than 1,000 guests was treated to a number of surprises throughout the evening including an appearance by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who took to the stage to sing ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘Beautiful Day’ with Bono.


above: Bono and Chris Martin from Coldplay performed at the event

The performance inspired more than a dozen bidders to compete for the Steinway & Sons unique “Red Pops for (RED)” Parlor Grand Piano, which was finally won by philanthropist Stewart Rahr for $1.9 million.

Later in the evening, the Azzedine Alaïa pink couture long ruffle dress was revealed in the salesroom worn by supermodel Christy Turlington before it sold to applause for $149,000. 


above: Christy Turlington models a custom Azzedine Alaïa dress onstage that was sold for $149,000. Next to her is a "Zvezda" Cosmonaut Suit which sold for $305,000.

After the sale, guests made their way to the 10th floor for a private concert with Bono, The Edge, Nile Rodgers, Chic, and Angelique Kidjo:


Jony and Marc's (RED) Auction highlights prior to the auction were shown in this 'teaser' video:

All information and images courtesy of Sotheby's

It's Hammer Time: 2007 's Record-breaking Auctions

Some people shelled out some serious dough for their favorite collectibles this past year. Here are just a few of the record-breaking auctions from 2007.

1. A copy of the Magna Carta sold for $21,321,000.



There are about 20 in the world, but only two outside Britain. The new owner immediately arranged for it to go back on view at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It was last sold in 1983 by an English family and bought by Ross Perot, who had also placed it on display.

2. The Rothschild family's pink Faberge egg auctioned for $18,500,000.


The Faberge Egg sold for a price of 18.5 million US dollars ($8.98 million pounds or 12.5 million euro).

3. A Philadelphia Chippendale carved mahogany tea table with a piecrust edge was $6,761,000.

Previously unknown, the Fisher Fox family Chippendale mahogany piecrust tea table sold for $6,761,000, an auction record for Philadelphia furniture, to C.L. Prickett Antiques underbid by G.W. Samaha.

4. A Hertford jewel cabinet from England sold for $3,176,000.

John Webb, Hertford jewel cabinet, commissioned by John Rutter in Paris for the 4th Marquess of Hertford, 1855–1857, sold for $3,176,000, establishing a new record for Nineteenth Century furniture.

5. The rare Honus Wagner 1909-1911 T206 baseball card went for $2,350,000.

The Mona Lisa of all trading cards was put up for auction Feb. 27, 2007 and sold for an unprecedented $2.35 million. The T206 Honus Wagner is recognized by collectors and industry experts as the most famous and valuable baseball card in existence.The card was purchased by a private California sports collector.

6. Two decoys by A. Elmer Crowell, a pintail drake and a sleeping Canada goose, each sold for $1,130,000.


Above: A. Elmer Crowell's preening pintail drake decoy, $1.1 million.


Above: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr with antique preening pintail drake and sleeping Canada goose decoys by renowned carver A. Elmer Crowell.

7. "Inverted Jenny" stamp sells for $825,000



One of the famous error stamps, the "Jenny," a 1918 24-cent stamp showing an upside-down biplane, was sold privately to a Wall Street executive for $825,000. It seems like a bargain. The buyer had tried to buy another of the "Inverted Jenny" stamps a month earlier, but it sold to another collector for $977,500.

8. A Santa Barbara art pottery vase by Frederick Hurten Rhead with a stylized landscape sold for $516,000.

A Rhead Santa Barbara pottery masterpiece, an 11 1/4-inch vase with mirror black glaze and stylized trees, auctioned at a Rago Craftsman Auction in New Jersey for the astounding record price of $516,000 on March 10.

9. Vacheron Watch Sets Record For Christie's

Watches sold well; one of the highest was a vintage 18k pink gold Vacheron Constantine wristwatch with the complications of minute repeating, triple calendar and phases of the moon that brought $457,000.

10. A mechanical bank, "Jonah and the Whale, Jonah Emerges," one of dozens of very high-priced banks, auctioned this year for $414,000.


11. A comic book, the Amazing Fantasy No. 15 that introduced Spider-Man, auctioned for a record $227,000.


Publisher: MARVEL
Condition: CGC 9.4 NM
Census Rank: 2nd Highest CGC Graded
Page Quality: Off-White to White Pages
Type of Holder: Universal
Degree Of Restoration: Unrestored
Pedigree or Highlight: WHITE MOUNTAIN PEDIGREE
Item description: 1962, 1st Spider-Man and Original Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko art.

12. The original art of a Peanuts strip by Charles Schulz auctioned for $113,525.


It showed Charlie Brown at a rainy baseball game.

13. The first electric typewriter, the Blick Electric made in 1902 in the United States, set a world record price of $100,000 at a German auction.



World's first electric typewriter, the »Blick Electric« from 1902, (Lot 172) – invented by the world famous American Charles Blickensderfer, Stamford, CT – as part of the 1st Session of auctioning off the traditional »Remington Typewriter Museum« from the OHA-Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse, NY – made an absolute world record price of $ 100,000 (Euro 67,600) at world's leading specialty auction of AUCTION TEAM BREKER in Cologne, Germany.

14. A rainbow spatterware Festoon pattern plate brought a record $37,400.