CNN reports on some of the Michael Jackson memoriablia up so sale on eBay. Some of what's being auctioned are actually domain names. People are trying to profit selling Michael Jackson domain names and websites for outrageous sums. Godaddy, a domain name registrar, says 3,700 domain names about remembering Michael Jackson have been registered since Michael Jackson died.
CNN also said that some of the items are actually becoming more valuable. A Michael Jackson autograph has doubled in price according to the source CNN quoted.
The BBC reports that an eBay auction of lunch with investor Warren Buffett has sold for $1.68. The BBC notes that is 20% off last year's auction with made $2.1 million. This is the 10th year the auction has been held.
The online eBay auction saw a sudden final spurt, as in previous years, with bids rising from $810,000 in two hours.
The auction, in its 10th year, raises money for the Glide Foundation, which offers social services for San Francisco's homeless and poor.
Despite the economic downturn, this year saw the second-highest bid ever.
The winner - whose name has not yet been announced - is able to take up to seven friends to have lunch with Buffett - the world's second richest person - at Smith & Wollensky's steakhouse in New York.
The auction has ended but the listing can still be viewed here on eBay. Warren Buffett's lunch auctions raise money for the Glide Foundation.
WCBV TV reports that this iconic photo of Albert Einstein with his tongue sticking out was sold for $74,324 at an auction held by R.R. Auction last Friday. It's the most expensive Einstein photograph ever sold at auction, according. R.R. Auction is a New Hampshire basedauction company that specializes in autographs.
Einstein ordered nine copies of the photograph and signed a print for news anchor Howard K. Smith, writing in German, "This gesture you will like, because it is aimed at all of humanity. A civilian can afford to do what no diplomat would dare. Your loyal and grateful listener, A. Einstein '53."
Einstein was amused by the photograph, but his tongue gesture was more than joke, according to RRAuction.com marketing director Bobby Livingston. McCarthyism was reaching a high point in the United States, and scientists like Einstein were being asked to report on the activities of their colleagues.
"This photo of Einstein is incredibly iconic, and for the first time Einstein explains why he stuck out his tongue," said Livingston. "You can tell by his inscription that (Einstein) fully understood the power of the image, and that what he was doing was quite dangerous, considering that the government was forcing intellectuals to name names."
You can read more details about the sale here on R.R. Auction's website.
A 6.29-carat fancy blue diamond sold for $3.6 million at a Christie's jewelry auction. National Jewelerreports that the jewelry auction went well and sold 91% by lot.
Overall, in what might be another sign that the economy is continuing its slow recovery, Christie's "New York Jewels" auction sold 91 percent by lot and 86 percent by volume.
Head of jewelry Rahul Kadakia said a total of $11.3 million changed hands at Christie's on Thursday, "in a room buzzing with excitement."
"Following our sales in Hong Kong and London, the auction in New York reaffirmed the strength of the jewelry market. We are delighted to end Christie's Spring Jewelry season with dominant market share of 65 percent in New York and 60 percent worldwide," he said.
Last month, a 7.03-ct. fancy vivid blue diamond sold for $9.5 million. Other reports on Christie's jewelry auction can be found here, here and here.
Skinner's recent sale of Fine Judaica more than tripled the pre-sale estimate and grossed over $1.2 million. The top lot in the sale was a rare and important silver and silver gilt Synagogue Ark-form Hanukkah Lamp, originating in Brody (Galicia), and dated 1787. The Hanukkah Lamp was auctioned for $314,000. From the late 1920s through the 1940s the lamp was illustrated in numerous books, publications and articles.
"The success of this lot demonstrates that exceptional and rare material presented at auction finds a very strong bidding audience in any economy," notes Kerry Shrives, Skinner's Director of Fine Judaica, "but this is especially true in more turbulent times as people turn to tangibles as a hedge against uncertain financial markets." Shrives adds, "collectors are always in search of material that is fresh-to-the-marketplace and has great provenance. The robust prices overall at this auction reflect that sentiment."
Other lots that brought big prices include: a Russian silver Temple-form Hanukkah Lamp from Kiev estimated at $10/15,000, but sold for $189,600; a Polish silver Hanukkah Lamp from the early 19th century estimated at $12/18,000, went for $142,200; and a Polish Torah Crown, probably c. 1840, sold for $65,175 well over its $10/15,000 estimate.
This vintage print of Marilyn Monroe was taken in 1953 by Andre De Dienes. It is a silver gelatin print, hand printed circa 1958 and stamped by the artist, printed on a double weight fiber paper, in good condition. Julien's Auctions Summer Entertainment Sale will include this photograph as well as other memorabilia from Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and other Hollywood stars. The auction will take place on on June 26 and June 27, 2009 in Las Vegas. You can find out more about the auction here and you can flip through an online catalog here.
The Times Onlinereports that a 3-year-old unintentionally purchased an earthmover in an online auction. The mother was shocked when she noticed an email that said she had the winning bid in a $20,000 auction for a mechnical digger on New Zealand's Trade Me auction site.
"The first I knew about it was when I came down and opened up the computer," her mother Sarah told The Times.
"I saw an e-mail from Trade Me saying I had won an auction and another e-mail from the seller saying something like ‘I think you’ll love this digger’," she said.
"I'd been looking at bulk lots of Lego for my son and I thought a digger must be in one of those toy sets.
"Then I saw the price and got the shock of my life," said Ms Quinlan, who added that she had to ask her husband Reid what a Kobelco was.
The article says little Pipi had been watching her mom at the Trade Me earlier that day and watching the "pretty pictures" pop up so she must have decided to try it for herself later. The family won't have to buy the expensive earthmover Pipi purchased. Trade Me reimbursed the seller for his costs and the earthmover has been relisted.
Bloomberg reports that a blue-and-white dragon vase from the 1700s bearing the mark of Emperor Yongzheng could fetch as much as $2.3 million in Hong Kong.
The blue-and-white dragon vase, bearing the mark of Emperor Yongzheng (reign: 1723-1735), is one of 1,600 paintings, gems and antiques that Christie's expects to sell for HK$750 million ($96 million) at its four-day auction starting on May 24. The item once belonged to Hong Kong antiques doyen Robert Chang.
The sale will test Chinese buyers' willingness to buy from Christie's after the company's Feb. 25 sale of bronzes, plundered by foreign troops in the 19th century, which sparked outrage in China. The government imposed controls on Christie's in mainland China after the Yves Saint Laurent collection's auction in Paris. Cai Mingchao, the Chinese dealer who placed the winning $40 million bid, refused to pay.
Hong Kong is Christie's third-biggest market after New York and London and its hub for the sale of Chinese antiquities, with revenue of more than HK$1 billion last year. Christie's had a record number of Chinese buyers at its New York and London auctions this month, a sign of their growing importance, Andrew Foster, Christie's Asia president, said in an e-mail.
They aren't expected to run into problems like they did with the Qing Bronzes, when the buyer backed out. You can see some of the other items up for sale at Christie's Imperial Sale, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction here.
The BBC reports that the beautiful rare 7.03-ct. fancy vivid blue diamond (see photo here) found in Cullinan mine in South Africa last year has been auctioned for a record price. The diamond sold for 10.5 million Swiss francs, which is about $9.5 million. Auctioneer David Bennett said, "It is a new world record price for a blue diamond."
Scientific Americanreports that a man won Knome's genome sequencing auction with a winning bid of $68,000. Knome will announce who the winning bidder is once the payment goes through.
But since then, someone did: The auction closed Monday afternoon, with a single bid at the $68,000 minimum Knome had set.
"We don't know who the [auction's] winner is," says Knome's Ari Kiirikki. "We know it's a male and we know he's from Europe." But as soon as the payment goes through, probably within days, the company will learn his identity, he adds, and the unknown man will join about 20 others who have had their genes sequenced by Knome.
Normally, the service-which includes an analysis by Knome's team of clinicians and geneticists so you can understand whether your genetic profile makes you susceptible to certain diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer's-costs $99,500. It takes about three months to complete the process, says Kiirikki, Knome's vice president of sales and business development.
Proceeds from the eBay auction will go to the X Prize Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. You can still see the auction listing here.
Knome is a service that offers complete genome sequencing for individuals. This is a pricey service that will get cheaper over time as both demand and technology improve. Scientific American points out that a service by 23andme offers a custom genome scan for $399 which can tell you how susceptible you are to certain diseases, such as the dreaded norovirus.
Jeff Koons' Baroque Egg with Bow is the lead item in an upcoming contemporary art auction being held by Sotheby's in New York City on the evenin gof May 12th. The large egg is estimated to be worth $6 to $8 million. The high-chromium stainless steel turquoise and magenta egg is one of four different colored versions of the egg.
You can see details of the contemporary art auction here on Sotheby's website.
A woman in Auckland, New Zealand found a piece of fruit growing on a tree in her yard that looks like a Kiwi, the bird that is an internatinal symbol for New Zealand. The woman put the fruit up for auction at TradeMe.co.nz and it sold for $600. An article here says the man plans to preserve the kiwi-shaped feijoa. It does resemble a Kiwi bird.
CNN reports that a man in Idaho is selling the rights to a "Hand of God" rock wall formation in his backywards.
Paul Grayhek, 52, listed the rock formation he dubbed the "Hand of God Rock Wall" on the online auction Web site eBay. The highest bid was $250 early Sunday, with three days left to go in the auction.
The hand-like formation, approximately 9 feet tall and 4 feet wide, appeared in Grayhek's backyard after a rockfall during Lent on March 8, he said.
The Coeur d'Alene resident said he faced tough times after losing his job, and believed the rock was a sign.
"I prayed between licking my wounds and looking for a job," he said. "We rarely get rockfalls and this formation is 20 feet from my house. It's definitely a symbol of the hand of God in my life."
Madonna's 1985 "Material Girl" dress could be yours. The dress will be auctioned off in the Fame Bureau's Rock and Roll sale on April 28th. It is expected to sell for $87,000 to $116,000. The starting bid is 30,000 pounds - about $43,725 U.S. The listing for Madonna's "Material Girl" dress can be found here. The auction also includes other Madonna items including a black slip and lycra dance top. Other apparel items being auctioned include a Marilyn Monroe bathing suit and Elvis Presley jacket.
You can find details about the auction here. Here's Madonna's "Material Girl" song to help you reminisce.
The one-piece red Lycra swimsuit worn by Pamela's character CJ Parker in Baywatch is going up for auction. The swumsuit in the auction is signed "love Pamela Lee, X O." The Mirrorsays the swimsuit is expected to fetch about $3,000.
The swimsuit is part of the Forry Ackerman Estate auction of Hollywood memorabilia that starts April 30th. The auction also includes a blaster used by Harrison Ford in Blade Runner and guns used by Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. More details about the auction can be found on Profiles in History.
The BBC 
WCBV TV 
A 6.29-carat fancy blue diamond sold for $3.6 million at a Christie's jewelry auction. National Jeweler 
Skinner's recent sale of Fine Judaica more than tripled the pre-sale estimate and grossed over $1.2 million. The top lot in the sale was a rare and important silver and silver gilt Synagogue Ark-form Hanukkah Lamp, originating in Brody (Galicia), and dated 1787. The Hanukkah Lamp was auctioned for $314,000. From the late 1920s through the 1940s the lamp was illustrated in numerous books, publications and articles.
The Times Online 
Scientific American 
CNN 
