Collectibles

This is the second part of our overview of the 2021 auction year – a year where investors channeled more of their wealth into “investments of passion” than ever before. It covers the 150 science, sci-fi and technology artifacts that sold for more than $100,000

Nikola Tesla was one of the world's most important innovators and evidence of the gravitas of the Tesla name was on full display at an auction at Remarkable Rarities (RRAuctions) this week when a four-page autograph letter by Tesla fetched US$341,295.

The 2021 auction market was quite extraordinary, with unprecedented levels of participation and sales. From cars to colt revolvers to multi-million-dollar NFTs, this sweeping look at the highlights is full of fascinating tales and astonishing prices.

An AI algorithm called Botto has made somewhere around US$1.3 million at auction for its first six NFT artworks. Botto generates thousands of images, and a community of humans vote to influence its direction and decide which pieces go to auction.

A 54-page document handwritten in 1913-1914 by Albert Einstein and Swiss engineer Michele Besso, sold earlier today for €11.6 million. It’s the most paid in nearly eight decades for an autograph document by history’s most celebrated scientist.

2021 is proving as big year for both the science fiction genre and movie memorabilia. This week Marty McFly's Hoverboard from "Back To The Future Part II" sold for $501,200, while Captain Kirk's Phaser Rifle from "Star Trek" fetched $615,000.

One of the first personal computers ever sold – a 1976 Apple-1 – fetched US$500,000 at auction yesterday, but it might well be one of the auction bargains of the year.

A very prominent space suit “accessory” worn on the Moon by the last Apollo moonwalker – Commander Gene Cernan – is being auctioned on the internet with bids closing later this week, and it looks like records will be broken.

It would be reasonable to expect a slow year at auction for science, technology and science-fiction, but 2021 is on track for a record, with a slew of knowledge-related objects of note hitting the auction block in recent weeks.

The most valuable comic in the world has always been Action Comics #1 … until a few hours ago when a copy of Amazing Fantasy No. 15 sold for US$3,600,000 at Heritage Auctions, representing tectonic movement within the massive comic collecting industry.

We've been harping on for two decades about how undervalued scientific and computer memorabilia is. Hence, we figure that we should alert our esteemed readership to an RR Auction heading for conclusion later this month, which includes some gems.

A Steve Jobs’ job application from 1973 has sold for the fourth time in as many years, fetching $343,000 last week. The remarkable aspect of this sale is that both the physical A4 application and a NFT of the printed page were offered separately.