Sometimes lots at auctions surprise even the employees of auction agencies. You may also be very surprised by the prices of strange lots.
1. John Lennon's toilet
"I think it's the most unusual item we've ever had at our auction," Anne-Marie Trace, an employee of the Beatles Shop in Liverpool, told Reuters.
The price ten times exceeded all expectations! An unknown buyer purchased the toilet for $14,740 (£9,500)
2. Queen's underwear
Wow, that's shopping, you might think. But there was a buyer who paid $16,300 for the panties.
The cotton underwear once belonged to Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, and it was in pristine condition. Also, the initials "VR" - Victoria Regina - are embroidered on the panties.
The thing was stored in a room with the required temperature.
"This piece has really caught the eye of collectors because you can date it pretty specifically to the last 10 years of her life." - comments auctioneer Richard Edmonds.
3. Writer's chair
The oak chair belonged to the famous writer JK Rowling, and was sold at auction for an unheard of $394,000!
The lot also contained a letter from the author:
"Dear new owner of my chair. In 1995 I was given four mismatched dining room chairs and this one was the most comfortable, so it was constantly standing in front of my Typewriter supporting me while I typed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The nostalgic part of me is very sad to see it gone, but my back is not. / JK Rowling".
This was not a simple bag. It was in him that Neil Armstrong collected the world's first lunar samples. A historic day for the world, when man first landed on the moon. On the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, it was the external decontamination bag.
Small pebbles and dust from the moon still remained in the middle. The lot was purchased for €1.8 million. The buyer is unknown.
Signed photo of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Bonhams.
Porcelain bowl of the Chinese Northern Song Dynasty 960-1127 years. Nothing surprising at first glance, maybe the cup is an incredible work of art, you ask. But the price is surprising...
And also the fact that the vessel looks like an ordinary plate that is sold in any mass market. But in fact it is a thousand years old vessel for washing brushes. They sold it for $34.4 million on exclusive auction in Hong Kong.
