The top 100 highlights of the 2020 science, sci-fi and technology auction year
By Mike Hanlon
January 28, 2021
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The top 100 highlights of the ...

One of nature’s masterpieces, this 102.39-carat D color flawless diamond was cut from a 271 carat rough, and is just the eighth D-color flawless white diamond to sell at auction in three decades. It sold for HKD121,562,000 ($15,685,621) at Sotheby’s on October 5, 2020. The world record price for a flawless d-color diamonds is the $33.7 million fetched by a 163.41-carat diamond sold in Geneva in 2017.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
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A Duros Alien Mask used in the spaceport cantina scene in “Star Wars: A New Hope" (1977) sold for $100,000 at Propstore on August 27, 2020.
Propstore
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Italian Movie Poster for Frankenstein (1935) sells for $100,043 at Aste Bolaffi on February 18, 2020
Aste Bolaffi
3/496
Astronomical Dial Ring from the Louvain School, prior to 1600 sold for $100,550 at Christie's on December 9, 2020
Christie's
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Astronomical Dial Ring from the Louvain School, prior to 1600 sold for $100,550 at Christie's on December 9, 2020
Christie's
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Astronomical Dial Ring from the Louvain School, prior to 1600 sold for $100,550 at Christie's on December 9, 2020
Christie's
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Astronomical Dial Ring from the Louvain School, prior to 1600 sold for $100,550 at Christie's on December 9, 2020
Christie's
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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The NASA inflight toolkit for Apollo 17, flown The original NASA in-flight toolkit flown into space on the Apollo 17 command module (1972) sold for $102,400 at Julien's Auctions on 17 July, 2020
Julien's Auctions
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Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), published anonymously by René Descartes, sold for €92,250 ($106,034) at Galerie Bassenge on April 7, 2020
Galerie Bassenge
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Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), published anonymously by René Descartes, sold for €92,250 ($106,034) at Galerie Bassenge on April 7, 2020
Galerie Bassenge
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Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), published anonymously by René Descartes, sold for €92,250 ($106,034) at Galerie Bassenge on April 7, 2020
Galerie Bassenge
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Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), published anonymously by René Descartes, sold for €92,250 ($106,034) at Galerie Bassenge on April 7, 2020
Galerie Bassenge
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Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison (1637), published anonymously by René Descartes, sold for €92,250 ($106,034) at Galerie Bassenge on April 7, 2020
Galerie Bassenge
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ALS in German, signed “A. E.,” (Albert Einstein) one page letter to mathematician Ernst Gabor Straus, concerning Einstein's work on the Unified Field Theory measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, dated October 2, 1950. Sold for $103,395 at RR Auction on December 9, 2020
RR Auction
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The Paolo Forlani map of North America (1565), the first separately published map of North America, sold for $172,200 at Arader Galleries on October 11, 2020
Arader Galleries
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The Paolo Forlani map of North America (1565), the first separately published map of North America, sold for $172,200 at Arader Galleries on October 11, 2020
Arader Galleries
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The Paolo Forlani map of North America (1565), the first separately published map of North America, sold for $172,200 at Arader Galleries on October 11, 2020
Arader Galleries
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The Paolo Forlani map of North America (1565), the first separately published map of North America, sold for $172,200 at Arader Galleries on October 11, 2020
Arader Galleries
23/496
This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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This is a Special Effects Mechanical Alien Head, designed by biomechanical artist H.R. Giger for the movie "Alien" (1979). It sold for $104,271 at Propstore in London on December 2, 2020
Propstore
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
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Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury’s Volvaria, a 2008 sculpture of fibreglass, resin and steel, painted with nail polish, weighing 450 kg, and measuring 80 x 350 x 350 cm. sold for $120,216 at Piguet on September 23, 2020
Piguet
44/496
This Xenomorph Queen Model Miniature Puppet from "Aliens" (1986) sold for $106,250 at Propstore on August 27, 2020
Propstore
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This Xenomorph Queen Model Miniature Puppet from "Aliens" (1986) sold for $106,250 at Propstore on August 27, 2020
Propstore
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This Xenomorph Queen Model Miniature Puppet from "Aliens" (1986) sold for $106,250 at Propstore on August 27, 2020
Propstore
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This Xenomorph Queen Model Miniature Puppet from "Aliens" (1986) sold for $106,250 at Propstore on August 27, 2020
Propstore
48/496
Neo's (Keanu Reeves) Complete Costume " from "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) sold for $104,271 (£62,500) at Propstore on December 2, 2020
Propstore
49/496
"Édition originale de l'inprétation d'Hippocrate" by Louis Duret, 1588, sold for $103,930 at Christie’s on May 27, 2020
Christie's
50/496
"History of the Indian Tribes of North America" by Thomas McKenney and James Hall. 1836-44 image sold for $112,500 at Christie’s on June 18, 2020
Christie’s
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"History of the Indian Tribes of North America" by Thomas McKenney and James Hall. 1836-44 image sold for $112,500 at Christie’s on June 18, 2020
Christie’s
52/496
The Portolan Chart of the Mediterranean by Placido Caloiro Y Oliva and Joan Oliva (1617) sold for $112,500 at Christie’s on October 16, 2020
Christie's
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The Portolan Chart of the Mediterranean by Placido Caloiro Y Oliva and Joan Oliva (1617) sold for $112,500 at Christie’s on October 16, 2020
Christie's
54/496
"Principia mathematica" by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell. 1910-13 sold for $112,500 at Christie’s at July 30, 2020
Christie’s
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"Principia mathematica" by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell. 1910-13 sold for $112,500 at Christie’s at July 30, 2020
Christie’s
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"Principia mathematica" by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell. 1910-13 sold for $112,500 at Christie’s at July 30, 2020
Christie’s
57/496
"Principia mathematica" by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell. 1910-13 sold for $112,500 at Christie’s at July 30, 2020
Christie’s
58/496
"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
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"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
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"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
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"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
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"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
63/496
"De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas" (1685) by Johannes van Keulen sold for $113,279 at Sotheby’s on July 28, 2020
Sotheby’s
64/496
A pair of Regency 21-inch Library Globes by John And William Cary, 1818 sold for $117,144 at Christie’s on December 9, 2020
Christie’s
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A pair of Regency 21-inch Library Globes by John And William Cary, 1818 sold for $117,144 at Christie’s on December 9, 2020
Christie’s
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A pair of Regency 21-inch Library Globes by John And William Cary, 1818 sold for $117,144 at Christie’s on December 9, 2020
Christie’s
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A pair of Regency 21-inch Library Globes by John And William Cary, 1818 sold for $117,144 at Christie’s on December 9, 2020
Christie’s
68/496
A pair of Regency 21-inch Library Globes by John And William Cary, 1818 sold for $117,144 at Christie’s on December 9, 2020
Christie’s
69/496
This first edition of Adam Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) sold for $125,000 at Swann Galleries on July 30, 2020
Swann Galleries
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THIS first edition of Adam Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) sold for $125,000 at Swann Galleries on July 30, 2020
Swann Galleries
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THIS first edition of Adam Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) sold for $125,000 at Swann Galleries on July 30, 2020
Swann Galleries
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THIS first edition of Adam Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) sold for $125,000 at Swann Galleries on July 30, 2020
Swann Galleries
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THIS first edition of Adam Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) sold for $125,000 at Swann Galleries on July 30, 2020
Swann Galleries
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This group of five scientific offprints, each signed and inscribed by Kurt Gödel and Oskar Morgenstern, sold for $125,075 at Bonhams on November 5, 2020
Bonhams
75/496
This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
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This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
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This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
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This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
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This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
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This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
81/496
This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
82/496
This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
83/496
This 1966 Amphicar 770 sold for $128,800 at RM-Sotheby’s on October 24, 2020
RM-Sotheby’s
84/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
85/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
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This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
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This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
88/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
89/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
90/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
91/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
92/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
93/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
94/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
95/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
96/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
97/496
This very large Ichthyosaur fossil from the lower Jurassic period sold for $129,972 at Christie’s on October 28, 2020
Christie’s
98/496
This Stormtrooper Helmet from "Star Wars: A New Hope" (1977) sold for $137,500 at Propstore on August 27, 2020
Propstore
99/496
This autograph letter signed Ludwig Wittgenstein to Moritz Schlick discussing Gödel's incompleteness theorems and Philosophy Of Mathematics, was sold for $137,575 at Bonhams on July 10, 2020
Bonhams
100/496
This copy of “Principia mathematica” (1910-13 ) by Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) and Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), sold for $146,665 at Christie’s on July 30, 2020
Christie’s
101/496
This copy of “Principia mathematica” (1910-13 ) by Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) and Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), sold for $146,665 at Christie’s on July 30, 2020
Christie’s
102/496
This copy of “Principia mathematica” (1910-13 ) by Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) and Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), sold for $146,665 at Christie’s on July 30, 2020
Christie’s
103/496
This copy of “Principia mathematica” (1910-13 ) by Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) and Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), sold for $146,665 at Christie’s on July 30, 2020
Christie’s
104/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
105/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
106/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
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This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
108/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
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This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
110/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
111/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
112/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
113/496
This full set of armour in Maximillian style, from the second half of the 19th Century, sold for $153,138 at Czerny's on December 19, 2020
Czerny's
114/496
This 379 gram (12.18 oz t) lump of crystallized Gold from Pontes e Lacerda, Mato Grosso, Brazil measures 3.54 x 1.57 x 1.41 inches (9 x 4 x 3.6 cm) and sold for $156,250 at Heritage Auctions on March 14, 2020
Heritage Auctions
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This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
116/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
117/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
118/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
119/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
120/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
121/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Dan Morphy Auctions on September 24, 2020
Dan Morphy Auctions
122/496
This Japanese Tin Litho Battery-Operated Machine Man Robot by Masudaya (circa 1959) is the rarest of the legendary “gang of four” robots. It sold for $156,000 at Da