Can Houses Be Sold Like Art? Neutra Kaufmann Home Sells For Less Than Expected

<span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Can Houses Be Sold Like Art?</strong></span><br /><br />$15 Million Sale at Christie's Is a Milepost, But Some Experts Are Cautious<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >By Christina S. N. Lewis, with photos and links provided by yours truly</span><br /><br />In a closely watched test of the concept of selling a house as art, <a href="http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/11/kaufmann-house-to-be-auctioned-by.html">a restored modernist home in Palm Springs, Calif.</a>, fetched $15 million this week at Christie's prestigious evening sales -- a record for a home sold at an art-house auction.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh2ux4hyphenhyphenJSpDkvVGHpknXjrD37XAoJLdauHqNX0rOaeJQuX_YGoHjvrET7yFCeu6XCcJdLrpYkxYPZ94_SSDv7aJAJLdZqTEJ_WDb-YwuHDeT_BrIqu-esr6cAS5MBqPmqS1_O_n9FWWz/s1600-h/OB-BL771_Ahouse_20080516133453.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201377057228973666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh2ux4hyphenhyphenJSpDkvVGHpknXjrD37XAoJLdauHqNX0rOaeJQuX_YGoHjvrET7yFCeu6XCcJdLrpYkxYPZ94_SSDv7aJAJLdZqTEJ_WDb-YwuHDeT_BrIqu-esr6cAS5MBqPmqS1_O_n9FWWz/s400/OB-BL771_Ahouse_20080516133453.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 531px; height: 354px;" /></a><br /><br />Given the cloudy economic forecast and sluggish real-estate market, the sale price of the Richard Neutra-designed house thrilled Christie's officials. Real-estate brokers had put the value of the two-acre property and house, completed in 1947 for Pittsburgh department-store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann, at roughly $9 million. (Overall, the evening sale was considered a success, with a Lucien Freud painting fetching $33.6 million, the highest price ever for a work by a living artist.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviLTOIljpvUOjyhntJoD5a1qSvdFesx1CIwcyoU1PLUXV9XArI2rbfRmVNok_wea5eZSZYbCDe6GkTI_jZzmxFDA-JLW-ZCbDaBw07JoSzSLPrPfMZmaJEkybrfNIO5g-4NekHLQMDrvG/s1600-h/OB-BL760_AHouse_20080516131529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201376954149758546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviLTOIljpvUOjyhntJoD5a1qSvdFesx1CIwcyoU1PLUXV9XArI2rbfRmVNok_wea5eZSZYbCDe6GkTI_jZzmxFDA-JLW-ZCbDaBw07JoSzSLPrPfMZmaJEkybrfNIO5g-4NekHLQMDrvG/s400/OB-BL760_AHouse_20080516131529.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 529px; height: 353px;" /></a><br />Above: The Neutra-designed Kaufmann home in Palm Springs that sold at auction for $15 million (to see more pics, <a href="http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/11/kaufmann-house-to-be-auctioned-by.html">go here</a>)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEuwkurxOSBDxQFOdk5vqMefdGzDYtjQIt9Y60A-CUlUWKBMGCK4hOyZ0Hk4Jg5nAByiSgE6h9AnK6IvmAxQouhEl_TBldWIDGSioY_VmFWgFh2Y5Uip4cspm5Ibrdr_cqGOIbUALptXk/s1600-h/freudPAINTING.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201390122519488274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEuwkurxOSBDxQFOdk5vqMefdGzDYtjQIt9Y60A-CUlUWKBMGCK4hOyZ0Hk4Jg5nAByiSgE6h9AnK6IvmAxQouhEl_TBldWIDGSioY_VmFWgFh2Y5Uip4cspm5Ibrdr_cqGOIbUALptXk/s400/freudPAINTING.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 533px; height: 353px;" /></a><br />Above: Benefits Supervisor Sleeping by Lucian Freud sold for $33,641,000 and Establishes auction record for a living artist<br /><br />But some devotees of midcentury architecture, a style characterized by horizontal lines, open floor plans and minimal embellishments, were dismayed. The sale price ($16.8 million with the buyer's premium) was at the bottom of Christie's estimate of $15 million to $25 million, and the auction didn't generate the level of competing bids some expected. "It was kind of disappointing," said Bridget Restivo, a real-estate broker who is involved in historic preservation. "I thought there would be more interest, cachet, excitement." Michael LaFetra, a Los Angeles-based preservationist who has restored and sold a number of significant midcentury houses, says the low number of bids could indicate the modernist market is peaking.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmJIGmqz2XvKs_FSFOZGY2qXGCVvi0unR62Zvu9Kb6J8JUWUFc4gx7cWVrioROXKFHsgGiq5MpDNds3EKSv39JX9sA7J4NhKrC3mTzClqPvQDIAZXQoc81f9OBc6kUmaadTIn9sZ4BO-c/s1600-h/lafetra.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201393395284567842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmJIGmqz2XvKs_FSFOZGY2qXGCVvi0unR62Zvu9Kb6J8JUWUFc4gx7cWVrioROXKFHsgGiq5MpDNds3EKSv39JX9sA7J4NhKrC3mTzClqPvQDIAZXQoc81f9OBc6kUmaadTIn9sZ4BO-c/s400/lafetra.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 526px; height: 759px;" /></a><br />above: Actor, producer and home preserver Michael LaFetra stands in the hall of a Rudolf Schindler home in Sherman Oaks. LaFetra hangs on to architecturally significant houses until he can register them as landmarks.<br /><br />The buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, is a foreigner with homes in Europe and the U.S. who has an interest in 20th-century architecture, design and art, according to Joshua Holdeman, Christie's head of 20th-century art and design, who oversaw the sale. The buyer also agreed to purchase an adjacent orchard on a third of an acre, bringing his total outlay to $19 million.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxPC2LpneE_JnqpBdATyB6GUplfcAWPtD2tZm1iS4vk5TwMdfJpgIU6Mf2LDNxcawg0EGuIFvQpF6rjfLTKiKy713YpKLZa8LgjPvc8nNIJhHSfeWxqvD7IgchUZdSMjaBwSmhTDLJtIj/s1600-h/OB-BL764_Ahouse_20080516131811.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201376292724794930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxPC2LpneE_JnqpBdATyB6GUplfcAWPtD2tZm1iS4vk5TwMdfJpgIU6Mf2LDNxcawg0EGuIFvQpF6rjfLTKiKy713YpKLZa8LgjPvc8nNIJhHSfeWxqvD7IgchUZdSMjaBwSmhTDLJtIj/s400/OB-BL764_Ahouse_20080516131811.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 542px; height: 360px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerDnrdAJC-DW074I9cNAw5pT4C-JoOGTfOVTzNQtyWwP05p6Gm-b7py-8kMw5HOTfWiw2kdp18V7yVTcJL1WvIfP5g4oXU9T7056wAxlG0-9Qu52_NFHwhcUzTgnu-8mXsMMYi8h5wVY5/s1600-h/PT-AI520_Auctio_20080516161916.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201383383715800786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerDnrdAJC-DW074I9cNAw5pT4C-JoOGTfOVTzNQtyWwP05p6Gm-b7py-8kMw5HOTfWiw2kdp18V7yVTcJL1WvIfP5g4oXU9T7056wAxlG0-9Qu52_NFHwhcUzTgnu-8mXsMMYi8h5wVY5/s400/PT-AI520_Auctio_20080516161916.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 539px; height: 416px;" /></a><br />Above: <strong>Todd Eberle/Wright Auction House </strong>The Louis Kahn-designed Esherick House in Philadelphia, set to be auctioned Sunday<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gXl9e2OymXPmXx8KMZkaPhEYhYd2qduFBBuXk8KXLGroC7HwV3rKYWC0VgVN58T3aAMfH04K6vAwP-55ZQ3jiNHjN4cjHcmvE9btszv0UPghXJUIGoF98b97mEv2AuQ58DiGFxs3VrnG/s1600-h/OB-BL767_Ahouse_20080516132016.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201376434458715714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gXl9e2OymXPmXx8KMZkaPhEYhYd2qduFBBuXk8KXLGroC7HwV3rKYWC0VgVN58T3aAMfH04K6vAwP-55ZQ3jiNHjN4cjHcmvE9btszv0UPghXJUIGoF98b97mEv2AuQ58DiGFxs3VrnG/s400/OB-BL767_Ahouse_20080516132016.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 528px; height: 703px;" /></a><br />Above: Located in Chestnut Hill, the one-bedroom house has a custom "sculpted" kitchen by woodworker Wharton Esherick and is in virtually original condition.<br /><br />Only a handful of "collectible" houses have gone to auction since 2000, yet the gambit will get another test Sunday when Chicago auction house Wright offers up a Louis Kahn-designed home in Philadelphia for an estimated $2 million to $3 million. Located in Chestnut Hill, an upscale neighborhood, the one-bedroom house has an undulating, "sculpted" kitchen by woodworker Wharton Esherick and is in virtually original condition.<br /><br />And next month, Sotheby's will auction the Artek Pavilion (shown below), a 130-foot-long, 16-foot-wide exhibition structure designed in 2007 by contemporary Japanese-born architect Shigeru Ban, at an estimated $800,000 to $1.2 million. The auction house believes the structure, which takes a construction crew a week to assemble, could serve as a good private-museum space.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRB5ladeUJRSCFRtPjVj2q4NZwur1OAPbVRLLKHagD62Jwhjm81Rpan4Rh6CgYYWD_KKJJ386Nc7TZ3c7HCul44Udklq5e41AERXwhsEebB1ufAf_bfvUtEZSj8v-HCFgL2hMpEK5gipP/s1600-h/artik1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201379153173014146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRB5ladeUJRSCFRtPjVj2q4NZwur1OAPbVRLLKHagD62Jwhjm81Rpan4Rh6CgYYWD_KKJJ386Nc7TZ3c7HCul44Udklq5e41AERXwhsEebB1ufAf_bfvUtEZSj8v-HCFgL2hMpEK5gipP/s400/artik1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 535px; height: 401px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPtmBIiUsAhhdy6_CGU0VF27dlCDMjNMbzPJbGQg0ZfM_XBTmtQr9h1Ko0kxmh1i6t8tB4h1hvaH6ErVoMTAui7UjmFMsdNbAa04-YLC4a2sUEOhtZ7pFUUy6Z5zc3M7BqwPXiA162Y1l/s1600-h/artek2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201379080158570098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPtmBIiUsAhhdy6_CGU0VF27dlCDMjNMbzPJbGQg0ZfM_XBTmtQr9h1Ko0kxmh1i6t8tB4h1hvaH6ErVoMTAui7UjmFMsdNbAa04-YLC4a2sUEOhtZ7pFUUy6Z5zc3M7BqwPXiA162Y1l/s400/artek2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 534px; height: 711px;" /></a><br /><i>Above Artek Pavilion Photos by Paul Petrunia, more in their <a href="http://archinect.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=search&type=full&search=artek%20miami">Gallery</a></i><br /><br />Some homes sold as architectural masterpieces have exceeded their estimates. In 2003, the <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org/">National Trust for Historic Preservation</a> paid $7.5 million, including the buyer's premium, for a Mies van der Rohe-designed glass box-style house near Chicago, over its $6 million estimate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEYDLKykTZwlw6TG6dOgWeMH7brwTzW0GSG3vCor2ywOf6Xt3QWbzw7ohfFN38WOWDcHCYR7s0QVaPoz0u4rt9XCR4oiw_s0Ojx6cQyj63JIqgnvDiI80oL5Kl7vIUmITYCHs3v2aLVl8/s1600-h/momaphi3.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201380652116600482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEYDLKykTZwlw6TG6dOgWeMH7brwTzW0GSG3vCor2ywOf6Xt3QWbzw7ohfFN38WOWDcHCYR7s0QVaPoz0u4rt9XCR4oiw_s0Ojx6cQyj63JIqgnvDiI80oL5Kl7vIUmITYCHs3v2aLVl8/s400/momaphi3.gif" style="cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 362px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIwhNjynLunLgZZfX0hYGFld5g2YBjYbcxc5zMEZsfQEevkVL1hqpjnu727-tsTXyLXZuR9VbjI8nKgPNQd3-MzG4cQPxOTyrhm1rWYWShKHbC_26jMOYyVQJFg-pHt-o0x8Mw1M3vnNR/s1600-h/momaphil.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201380561922287250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIwhNjynLunLgZZfX0hYGFld5g2YBjYbcxc5zMEZsfQEevkVL1hqpjnu727-tsTXyLXZuR9VbjI8nKgPNQd3-MzG4cQPxOTyrhm1rWYWShKHbC_26jMOYyVQJFg-pHt-o0x8Mw1M3vnNR/s400/momaphil.gif" style="cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 360px;" /></a><br /><br />Above: In 2000, an Asian-influenced 1950 Manhattan townhouse designed by Philip Johnson for Blanchette Rockefeller sold for $11.1 million with the premium -- more than twice its $5 million estimate -- at Christie's. In 1989, the home had sold at a Sotheby's auction for $3.5 million with the premium, well over its $2 million estimate.<br /><br />A few years ago, some preservationists worried that auctions would allow individuals to buy modernist masterworks and then alter the houses by moving them or creating inappropriate additions. Instead, design enthusiasts say, auctions have proved a boon by raising broader awareness of the style.<br /><br />ON THE BLOCK<br /><div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); line-height: 5px; font-size: 5px;"> </div> <div class="p11" style="padding: 1px 0px 3px;"><i>A sampling of houses designed by modernist architects and sold at auction (prices include buyer's premium)<br /><br /></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV6B7rp5O3cpvVhyphenhyphenSD1GMne02dOqlKIRPtIDIhcjtF_2P_t5EEsOF4TbkLPVtvFEsfI6UBPb1TqoDkwc2N1lsx_pCCOWX1HSKUFMPysDy1uRyDgCznPWUa72teqVIxvfoUpxG1JGkuGlw/s1600-h/kaufmanslide11.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201394018054825778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV6B7rp5O3cpvVhyphenhyphenSD1GMne02dOqlKIRPtIDIhcjtF_2P_t5EEsOF4TbkLPVtvFEsfI6UBPb1TqoDkwc2N1lsx_pCCOWX1HSKUFMPysDy1uRyDgCznPWUa72teqVIxvfoUpxG1JGkuGlw/s400/kaufmanslide11.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 538px; height: 632px;" /></a></div> <div class="p11" style="padding: 1px 0px 3px;"><a href="http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/11/kaufmann-house-to-be-auctioned-by.html"><b>Kaufmann House</b><b> by Richard Neutra</b></a><br />Palm Springs, Calif. $16.8 million on May 13<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8OgwG-1VR-gm0ZLHUEGu54DqgOAdWDJ1SfxSNQWU0722tBFHz9UB_HB-6WaQPCt6QDtJTBtS3j9I-NrUlPsUY9lwp3GbtLzGRJB6UCSzgJyZdzWrEEEIWvVLmau1YdbeA507hvSVsA8E/s1600-h/maisontropicale.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201386643595978498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8OgwG-1VR-gm0ZLHUEGu54DqgOAdWDJ1SfxSNQWU0722tBFHz9UB_HB-6WaQPCt6QDtJTBtS3j9I-NrUlPsUY9lwp3GbtLzGRJB6UCSzgJyZdzWrEEEIWvVLmau1YdbeA507hvSVsA8E/s400/maisontropicale.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 528px; height: 308px;" /></a><br /></div> <div class="p11" style="padding: 1px 0px 3px;"><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/18/travel/design21.php"><b>Maison Tropicale</b><b> by Jean Prouvé</b></a><br />Modular $5 million in 2007<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID6ABU10THtLSYnNc1XrUcYqO1KxXoCL5l4qGnOBpow7Ue-Gj_t9uPsflr9q5j9S8ju0vBMZZlUK2gffI719Lz5xbQDfzYYuMQOJyLhCvOaEmoWOIUAU0jEx-mrXYRFmxJYHHujYiFbia/s1600-h/case+study21.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201386012235785970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID6ABU10THtLSYnNc1XrUcYqO1KxXoCL5l4qGnOBpow7Ue-Gj_t9uPsflr9q5j9S8ju0vBMZZlUK2gffI719Lz5xbQDfzYYuMQOJyLhCvOaEmoWOIUAU0jEx-mrXYRFmxJYHHujYiFbia/s400/case+study21.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 528px; height: 402px;" /></a><br /></div> <div class="p11" style="padding: 1px 0px 3px;"><a href="http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Case_Study_House_21"><b>Case Study House No. 21</b><b> by Pierre Koenig</b></a><br />Los Angeles $3.1 million in 2006<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMpFIlJeLMe0Zz28SsK1CHZ89u1_ao6TPJF8gYPrUqXyQ2XjMQsOmkkNRRH6ikxFp1sZcgssXAMApOBLHDci0nWFbCRHNYoP8D4JplUiVICRRsvjH8cVtI1bOxiQGHmGppaVWnLVQoYEc/s1600-h/Picture+1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201385556969252578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMpFIlJeLMe0Zz28SsK1CHZ89u1_ao6TPJF8gYPrUqXyQ2XjMQsOmkkNRRH6ikxFp1sZcgssXAMApOBLHDci0nWFbCRHNYoP8D4JplUiVICRRsvjH8cVtI1bOxiQGHmGppaVWnLVQoYEc/s400/Picture+1.png" style="cursor: pointer; width: 528px; height: 307px;" /></a><br /></div> <div class="p11" style="padding: 1px 0px 3px;"><a href="http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/"><b>Farnsworth House</b><b> by Mies van der Rohe</b></a><br />Plano, Ill. $7.5 million in 2003</div> <p class="times">"I am a big supporter," said Christy MacLear, co-leader of the modernism initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It creates this unbelievable awareness about modernism and enhances its value." But the practice may work only for landmark properties designed by an architect of national significance, auction officials say.</p><p class="times"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHMvUDC5K0ooPc6iEZQZ6DTME0EvuKblb0PUDQ0HHrFmvO3tQZeeUH1TlU9rEUVUQZpZHq3dLZ2LpeWUfYQfn_-NsfJvz4vBsw3yWRY0BlKYDrVUI9JhNVoL-rs-X4i7aPM2-l19q4aDj/s1600-h/south1_house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201381773103064770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHMvUDC5K0ooPc6iEZQZ6DTME0EvuKblb0PUDQ0HHrFmvO3tQZeeUH1TlU9rEUVUQZpZHq3dLZ2LpeWUfYQfn_-NsfJvz4vBsw3yWRY0BlKYDrVUI9JhNVoL-rs-X4i7aPM2-l19q4aDj/s400/south1_house.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 527px; height: 277px;" /></a><br /></p><p class="times">In October, the <a href="http://www.breuertrailerhouse.com/">Wolfson Trailer House</a> in Dutchess County, N.Y., designed by modernist pioneer Marcel Breuer, sold at auction in a single bid for $1 million (hammer price), its low estimate, according to Richard Wright, the owner of the Chicago auction company. However, the buyer never visited the unusual two-bedroom house, which uses an attached aluminum 1948 Spartan trailer as its kitchen, and the sale subsequently fell apart. The house still is owned by the original sellers. Mr. Wright, citing legal issues, declined to elaborate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AXDlLMyTOm6IA2xt7Zdr1Ew9sRbt6AyCgOLaNDouKU5cJ_ljzjkaC7nGhsq0CSNl2zdhAafILTjD-HXHZ-IIrV5uQjZbQB2ohxeRpABVPsdsfdjqcU5tv3Z19d6WRwpJF997d1xrCmX7/s1600-h/exterior_house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201381687203718834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AXDlLMyTOm6IA2xt7Zdr1Ew9sRbt6AyCgOLaNDouKU5cJ_ljzjkaC7nGhsq0CSNl2zdhAafILTjD-HXHZ-IIrV5uQjZbQB2ohxeRpABVPsdsfdjqcU5tv3Z19d6WRwpJF997d1xrCmX7/s400/exterior_house.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 531px; height: 412px;" /></a><br />Above: The Wolfson Trailer House<br /></p><p class="times">"The price was modest and the property was modest," said Mr. Wright. "In the future, I will only do historically important properties." The house's co-owner, David Diao, says: "I'm just as happy it didn't go through. I think he got it at too low a bid." The property now is on the market for $1.5 million.<br /><br />The high prices being paid for some modernist houses viewed as art seem a continuation of the booming contemporary-furniture market. Prices for limited-edition contemporary furniture have zoomed to hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. And the art world increasingly is recognizing the house as an art form. In July, <a href="http://www.moma.org/">New York's Museum of Modern Art</a> will open an exhibit of prefabricated homes.<br /><br />To pitch a house as a masterpiece, auction houses often create unusual catalogs. Christie's Kaufmann house brochure was delivered in a clear Lucite box with a cork bottom referencing the home's cork floors in the bathrooms and kitchen. It was sent to 500 key clients enclosed in a cashmere bag.<br /><br />Wright's hyper-stylized catalog for the Kahn house in Philadelphia features quotes by some of contemporary architecture's biggest names, including Zaha Hadid, Richard Meier and Annabelle Selldorf. The Sotheby's catalogue for the Farnsworth house was bound in metal with a clear plastic cover, a reference to the home's glass box style. The catalog quotes a 1951 letter Philip Johnson wrote to Mr. Rohe after visiting the house: "There is no way I can tell you how much I admire the architecture."</p>

Can Houses Be Sold Like Art? Neutra Kaufmann Home Sells For Less Than Expected

Can Houses Be Sold Like Art? $15 Million Sale at Christie's Is a Milepost, But Some Experts Are Cautious By Christina S. N. Lewis, with ...

Read more »

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.<br /><br />1.<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22318023/"> A copy of the Magna Carta sold for $21,321,000</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfMBy8oRu6f2BGKMm_uZvqOoSDx1nyVic5Z_Z70sem7dC5wPc6lfp_dwdSyP2cIFYhPidSn5FCpS77FhNkkEK6JYC4MbThpNWhAOVXib1Ue7wZkYISWDO6eV2Z7yh8gXuM1YrsJUY_Rca/s1600-h/b4b82156-34cb-4fa6-8ea7-990e5ab1f0b7.widec.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151439348947852802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfMBy8oRu6f2BGKMm_uZvqOoSDx1nyVic5Z_Z70sem7dC5wPc6lfp_dwdSyP2cIFYhPidSn5FCpS77FhNkkEK6JYC4MbThpNWhAOVXib1Ue7wZkYISWDO6eV2Z7yh8gXuM1YrsJUY_Rca/s400/b4b82156-34cb-4fa6-8ea7-990e5ab1f0b7.widec.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br />2.<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/home/2007-11-28-faberge-egg_N.htm"> The Rothschild family's pink Faberge egg auctioned for $18,500,000</a>.<br /><br /><object data="http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=71661" height="320" style="width: 100%;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="344"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=71661"><embed src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=71661" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="320" width="344"></object></embed><br />The Faberge Egg sold for a price of 18.5 million US dollars ($8.98 million pounds or 12.5 million euro).<br /><br />3.<a href="http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AuctionWatch/2007-10-30__10-06-52.html"> A Philadelphia Chippendale carved mahogany tea table with a piecrust edge was $6,761,000</a>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPDQHk_Kj5XG1vh_ByVj3Xvil8r9VqeuaiRl-5bQ0znkcfUsGkEb9MuiiGv84fYjTC-msOw6Yrt8L5dAs-JMR0CGoMo7t8ZVR-xGLUb4IyvCvg70PKGCUpbVr8OxjE5avJ9YyXcf0gXLm/s1600-h/Picture+15.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151427524902886834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPDQHk_Kj5XG1vh_ByVj3Xvil8r9VqeuaiRl-5bQ0znkcfUsGkEb9MuiiGv84fYjTC-msOw6Yrt8L5dAs-JMR0CGoMo7t8ZVR-xGLUb4IyvCvg70PKGCUpbVr8OxjE5avJ9YyXcf0gXLm/s400/Picture+15.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />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.<br /><br />4.<a href="http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AuctionWatch/2007-05-22__10-21-35.html"> A Hertford jewel cabinet from England sold for $3,176,000.</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5BgAS2frVkkU_a2p8Q5rQqqqkuHy5pn8r-xXwsw59XaXKDCpW8Q88K2C3Q3XzBfKjZ0PU6LbkPIjtOsRqhCLuenXle2f6TbrlLL04gphxIoNZlk3RCrYDYuZ-cDQ24stGNi1hanFTUjv/s1600-h/Picture+3.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151430226437316034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5BgAS2frVkkU_a2p8Q5rQqqqkuHy5pn8r-xXwsw59XaXKDCpW8Q88K2C3Q3XzBfKjZ0PU6LbkPIjtOsRqhCLuenXle2f6TbrlLL04gphxIoNZlk3RCrYDYuZ-cDQ24stGNi1hanFTUjv/s400/Picture+3.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />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.<br /><br />5.<a href="http://www.baseballcardsnews.com/"> The rare Honus Wagner 1909-1911 T206 baseball card went for $2,350,000.</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc1NDt-wr3bzFMddL4Q28DSBXpzEVeHRokNkjYrpvMrrtUrsg6iLOzVr3s6TbZC3SzG8oeSEgpPR8oIHM_pNaHzbKnX10AISF2W1U0wNP7wx9I2r-BduK8YYcxXJbA9bcqOs-FXT4LyOB/s1600-h/Picture+4.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151433121245273554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc1NDt-wr3bzFMddL4Q28DSBXpzEVeHRokNkjYrpvMrrtUrsg6iLOzVr3s6TbZC3SzG8oeSEgpPR8oIHM_pNaHzbKnX10AISF2W1U0wNP7wx9I2r-BduK8YYcxXJbA9bcqOs-FXT4LyOB/s400/Picture+4.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />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.<br /><br />6. <a href="http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/TradeTalk/2007-09-25__09-08-44.html">Two decoys by A. Elmer Crowell, a pintail drake and a sleeping Canada goose, each sold for $1,130,000.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFn_0VsWkqp7CqDi9-OUCgwyVeAbVhzuMNLKpbHbtbxVpOPJW4VPUnDeblcJ-lAuu9U4SOyWHE5frMq4zILOykMSEKu-TsGsVseJVZ3k2E24dErYDwsSZfj6_Lu9ox-EUZQ_fuDzl0k1zK/s1600-h/2007-09-25__09-08-44Image2.GIF" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151439688250269202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFn_0VsWkqp7CqDi9-OUCgwyVeAbVhzuMNLKpbHbtbxVpOPJW4VPUnDeblcJ-lAuu9U4SOyWHE5frMq4zILOykMSEKu-TsGsVseJVZ3k2E24dErYDwsSZfj6_Lu9ox-EUZQ_fuDzl0k1zK/s400/2007-09-25__09-08-44Image2.GIF" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;">Above: A. Elmer Crowell's preening pintail drake decoy, $1.1 million.<br /><br /></font></font><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF1hbvSmz9nY0y_vkYT36jlAl039EEMoC1XdKZVWhunzXEbt4m6fEX65_C_WFI6cJI2iAA-A3pBc7MtUDTG05XCIDvlatrLnVGQGcSVF-WF9d49YK3DGknnMnQij1V1KKhm-goirZxjle/s1600-h/Picture+6.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151436441254993378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF1hbvSmz9nY0y_vkYT36jlAl039EEMoC1XdKZVWhunzXEbt4m6fEX65_C_WFI6cJI2iAA-A3pBc7MtUDTG05XCIDvlatrLnVGQGcSVF-WF9d49YK3DGknnMnQij1V1KKhm-goirZxjle/s400/Picture+6.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><font style="font-style: italic;" size="2">Above: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr with antique preening pintail drake and sleeping Canada goose decoys by renowned carver A. Elmer Crowell.</font><br /><br />7. <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5407454.html">"Inverted Jenny" stamp sells for $825,000</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL8CqKmD-btjlFfc8iFwa0hxBlZEF0ewPLABDVJUsQJwVeBOzYWZZ6fev2x6BJjVXfL2F6CfruoD_O4xgKsUMVghqn3tmYELGLuwWbt3VpdJLjny2wYPTZk07j5fTOccdwWlwsJ_tO0yt/s1600-h/Picture+8.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151441096999542306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL8CqKmD-btjlFfc8iFwa0hxBlZEF0ewPLABDVJUsQJwVeBOzYWZZ6fev2x6BJjVXfL2F6CfruoD_O4xgKsUMVghqn3tmYELGLuwWbt3VpdJLjny2wYPTZk07j5fTOccdwWlwsJ_tO0yt/s400/Picture+8.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br />8.<a href="http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AuctionWatch/2007-03-20__08-10-40.html"> A Santa Barbara art pottery vase by Frederick Hurten Rhead with a stylized landscape sold for $516,000.</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjR10oEHnVMleyf7ywqCUI6ZBwoLAOPeurijd-8yhhwdVI62tYnoRA0N29hg5s7VYabXgupLeCgiVVITlnQJlL5sjr5Npai0xvrn0h2pIh1-2hgc_AQT0ljDCHVStFUKk9XOYmi2zAg1I/s1600-h/rhead-vase.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151442041892347442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjR10oEHnVMleyf7ywqCUI6ZBwoLAOPeurijd-8yhhwdVI62tYnoRA0N29hg5s7VYabXgupLeCgiVVITlnQJlL5sjr5Npai0xvrn0h2pIh1-2hgc_AQT0ljDCHVStFUKk9XOYmi2zAg1I/s400/rhead-vase.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />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.<br /><br />9.<a href="http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/watches/e3i20d1ce69fb02288c3f8c2d207b42a7a3"> Vacheron Watch Sets Record For Christie's</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhoxBsCpgHk7En-1Vjl_PXmyciaFpXDXXpcC-zjH4lycKxVmThqVqeJZtlzR5ilVp7D2DgVMfIU3ln4be1YJ4IAPxSoZEvNJ3rqOFKdJN_xfz9Z765UsGDZKEOGNCmQiC3ic96nfR8mPq/s1600-h/ref+4293+MR+triple+date.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151445396261805634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhoxBsCpgHk7En-1Vjl_PXmyciaFpXDXXpcC-zjH4lycKxVmThqVqeJZtlzR5ilVp7D2DgVMfIU3ln4be1YJ4IAPxSoZEvNJ3rqOFKdJN_xfz9Z765UsGDZKEOGNCmQiC3ic96nfR8mPq/s400/ref+4293+MR+triple+date.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />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.<br /><br />10.<a href="http://www.morphyauctions.com/steckbeck_press_release.html"> A mechanical bank, "Jonah and the Whale, Jonah Emerges," one of dozens of very high-priced banks, auctioned this year for $414,000.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwGp9iyQuYPuzIvgN6gWCidVc5G09u0GLBUkxr_JXBMvZEgrGnT_hQMsL6cIQvRnWo_y541C-DcQ0l1zLaJb-fHE2OcOTeWQQOxIW9fT1uVBP8MO4Yoi0QMKoswmx1GXgX9eJDzA8kHkh/s1600-h/Picture+9.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151447036939312722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwGp9iyQuYPuzIvgN6gWCidVc5G09u0GLBUkxr_JXBMvZEgrGnT_hQMsL6cIQvRnWo_y541C-DcQ0l1zLaJb-fHE2OcOTeWQQOxIW9fT1uVBP8MO4Yoi0QMKoswmx1GXgX9eJDzA8kHkh/s400/Picture+9.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />11. <a href="http://www.comiclink.com/itemdetail.asp?back=%2Fitems%2Easp%3Fid%3D4552%26FROM%3D%26TO%3D&id=715469">A comic book, the Amazing Fantasy No. 15 that introduced Spider-Man, auctioned for a record $227,000.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmqBvp9z2Ld_MeAT33jvNGWIOKb-bTS3ojj-KR6cEajfUoASglXvAC7VLWaPX0uDcQ-pib6HfXg9h79dB4rn0OKEi9yYiLXzPxP5rA9gc4oBL8EaeIOEt5gLPi74LpeS_y-Xiq21So1OZ/s1600-h/RAD4A6FB2007831_121754.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151453071368363618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmqBvp9z2Ld_MeAT33jvNGWIOKb-bTS3ojj-KR6cEajfUoASglXvAC7VLWaPX0uDcQ-pib6HfXg9h79dB4rn0OKEi9yYiLXzPxP5rA9gc4oBL8EaeIOEt5gLPi74LpeS_y-Xiq21So1OZ/s400/RAD4A6FB2007831_121754.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><b>Publisher:</b> MARVEL<br /><b>Condition:</b> CGC 9.4 NM<br /><b>Census Rank: </b> 2nd Highest CGC Graded<br /><b>Page Quality:</b> Off-White to White Pages<br /><b>Type of Holder:</b> Universal<br /><b>Degree Of Restoration:</b> Unrestored<br /><b>Pedigree or Highlight:</b> WHITE MOUNTAIN PEDIGREE<br /><b>Item description:</b> 1962, 1st Spider-Man and Original Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko art.<br /><br />12. <a href="http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/AuctionWatch/2007-12-04__10-33-37.html">The original art of a Peanuts strip by Charles Schulz auctioned for $113,525.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0CxrIQth0kQ6t4VrNPqz8Wic9jzBHjwXBgr_kfhOqbFHci9wIX_a2uIhAs2aZFO-q1thXaHhuk6iPQgeGuf-QZ240fjBFOm63OpJ7s_yuFUFhUYTwx59Tu47zwRM7okNtvCKcSo9C9iF/s1600-h/Picture+10.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151454956859006578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0CxrIQth0kQ6t4VrNPqz8Wic9jzBHjwXBgr_kfhOqbFHci9wIX_a2uIhAs2aZFO-q1thXaHhuk6iPQgeGuf-QZ240fjBFOm63OpJ7s_yuFUFhUYTwx59Tu47zwRM7okNtvCKcSo9C9iF/s400/Picture+10.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br />It showed Charlie Brown at a rainy baseball game.<br /><br />13. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.breker.com/Anzeigen/Press_Release_engl_24_Nov_2007.pdf">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.</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvPY4myjXiaQOeGbPtA61_-y8Dn7haSI1K0_S6Bf8w2O2QFW1CU7DdfWRcACb_5SAzMdBuBzY4pg7Mhgl2HJfcEEheFpypbBHMtKvE38ZHFQsKrOPUVfI8k8vI3kwlOnk0ONtee1v6pi8/s1600-h/Picture+11.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151460621920870018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvPY4myjXiaQOeGbPtA61_-y8Dn7haSI1K0_S6Bf8w2O2QFW1CU7DdfWRcACb_5SAzMdBuBzY4pg7Mhgl2HJfcEEheFpypbBHMtKvE38ZHFQsKrOPUVfI8k8vI3kwlOnk0ONtee1v6pi8/s400/Picture+11.png" style="cursor: pointer;"></a><br /><br />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. <br /><br />14. <a href="http://www.conestogaauction.com/">A rainbow spatterware Festoon pattern plate brought a record $37,400</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqHFBidSruUM2wKKQ62jhgE7SOl6ZMXC6bXTaFtnQsr9e-HoMFbe8kkdBdwqWDCvb-sPuNGSyVMU4mCmXm2_ACpVt9ax5ScvdX9d1El-ohw5IGnNANdpdq19OAygpqo38ECHg92PsICgg/s1600-h/071117_271.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151461523864002194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqHFBidSruUM2wKKQ62jhgE7SOl6ZMXC6bXTaFtnQsr9e-HoMFbe8kkdBdwqWDCvb-sPuNGSyVMU4mCmXm2_ACpVt9ax5ScvdX9d1El-ohw5IGnNANdpdq19OAygpqo38ECHg92PsICgg/s400/071117_271.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;"></a>

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 auctio...

Read more »