Latest news with #Sothebys
Times
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Ellen DeGeneres lists renovated Cotswolds farmhouse for £22.5m
She is arguably America's most famous Trump exile. Ellen DeGeneres, the 67-year-old chat show host who has an estimated net worth of about £360 million, resolved to settle in Britain the day after the president's re-election, moving into a vast converted barn in the Cotswolds that she had bought as a part-time bolthole months earlier. She has, however, already decided to move on. A video released by Sotheby's International Realty revealed that DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, her wife, had put their 43-acre Kitesbridge Farm estate on the market for £22.5 million — up from the £15 million they paid last June after an extensive renovation. The 18th-century house, which also includes a gym, pool, games room and 'party barn' with its own pub, has 16,600 square feet of living space and is in the village of Asthall, at the heart of the Chipping Norton set. Yet according to DeGeneres, the house didn't have the one thing de Rossi really wanted: space for her horses. 'When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn't live without her horses,' she said in a statement issued through Sotheby's. 'We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.' The couple, it has emerged, have already moved onto a larger and more modern estate near by. DeGeneres and de Rossi's renovation was extensive. Andrew Barnes, of Sotheby's, said Kitesbridge Farm had great bones but was 'quite tired' when the couple bought it but that it was transformed by an army of 70 workers in four and a half months. Among other upgrades, they created a single-storey extension and landscaped the garden. He said the house now looks like it belongs in Malibu, and is among the few in the area to be finished to the standard of London, Los Angeles or Montecito, California, where the couple previously lived in a £24 million house. DeGeneres and de Rossi have become known as serial flippers — buying and quickly renovating properties across the US. The latest upgrade did not, however, come without tribulations. In February, local councillors expressed concern that the works could disturb Roman remains and raise the risk of flooding. Agents said that, despite a dramatic property market slowdown thanks in part to tax and non-dom rule changes, liberal Americans have continued to express an interest in the Cotswolds. Experts suggest they prefer the area to London because of the perceived crime risk in the capital, as well as the creature comforts and celebrity residents on offer. 'Overseas and particularly American buyers are increasingly tying in their holidays with property searches, drawn by the good weather, the lifestyle and the favourable dollar-pound exchange rate,' said Harry Gladwin, head of the Cotswolds market for the high-end property agency The Buying Solution. 'American accents seem to be around every corner this summer — it feels that many make the Cotswolds their first stop rather than going to London first.'
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- Science
- News.com.au
Eye-watering sum rare ceratosaur fossil sold for at auction
A rare Ceratosaurus fossil, one of only four known to exist, has sold at $46.5 million at a Sotheby's auction. Described in a statement by the auction house as 'one of the finest and most complete examples of its kind ever found,' it vastly surpassed the estimated value, which was listed last month at $6 million to $9 million. The dinosaur fossil was discovered in 1996 on privately owned land in Albany County, Wyoming, in Bone Cabin Quarry, an area known to be a rich source of fossils due to its location in the Morrison Formation, a rock unit from the Late Jurassic Period. The carnivorous predator is a theropod, a term classed for a diverse group of dinosaurs characterised by thin-walled bones and the ability to stand and run on their two hind limbs. The Ceratosaurus weighed up to two tons, and was easily distinguished by its nasal crest, elongate teeth, and a row of sharp bones running down the middle of its back and tail. It also featured a fourth clawed finger, which differed from its three-clawed theropod peers. While the $46.5 million price tag may seem steep, it's far from the first of its kind. Last year, Sotheby's made history with the stegosaurus fossil 'Apex', which fetched $68 million, nine times more than the presale estimate. In 2020, a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, popularly known as 'Stan', was sold by auction house Christie's for $48 million. Mark Westgarth, an Associate Professor in Art History & Museum Studies at the University of Leeds, told CNN that the successful sale falls in line with the recent revival of interest in fossils and natural history. 'At the top end of the market … seems to be about an increasing desire for 'distinction,'' said Westgarth. 'These dinosaur specimens also have a particular aesthetic — they are sculptural and awe-inspiring.' There were six hopeful bidders competing for the Ceratosaurus, both online and over the phone. Cassandra Hatton, Vice Chairman and Global Head of Science and Natural History at Sotheby's said that there was an upturn in the number of people who registered to participate in the auction. 'I've had so many people who'd started off in this market who completely stopped because they'd been burned,' Ms. Hatton told the New York Times. 'A lot of those people who were excited years ago and got turned off are coming back.' The specimen, which is the only juvenile of its kind, has not been studied or described formally in publication, Sotheby's revealed. While the identity of the winning bidder has not been revealed, Ms Hatton has shared that the buyer intends to loan the specimen to a museum.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Blockbuster auctions of dinosaur skeletons don't do science any favours
Few people know that the great auction houses of the United States and Europe are not only some of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery and collectibles, they are also catering to the booming demand for prehistoric fossils. Auction houses acquire these specimens and then sell them off to rich private collectors. Last week, a juvenile specimen of Ceratosaurus nasicornis, one of the four skeletons of the ancient species known to exist, was auctioned off by Sotheby's for US$30.5 million. During many of these sales, it isn't clear who is purchasing the fossil and where it might eventually end up. Some argue that these kinds of sales increase philanthropy in fields such as palaeontology. Take Christie's 2020 sale of 'Stan' for example. The nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimen changed hands for a record-breaking US$31.8 million. After the mystery sale, there was much speculation over its fate, and palaeontologists were relieved when Stan found its home at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, expected to be completed this year. The Stegosaurus skeleton 'Apex' was sold at a Sotheby's auction for a staggering US$44.6 million in July 2024, the most expensive auctioned dinosaur fossil. It was bought by Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, who in turn loaned it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York for four years. In addition to fossils, auction houses have sold skeletons of Triceratops, Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus and the extremely rare and birdlike Deinonychus.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Family Office Learnings From This Year's Most Noteworthy Collectible Sales
Thomas H. Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®, Founder & CEO, Destiny Family Office. Million-dollar collectible sales write splashy headlines, but as family office professionals, they capture our attention not for the dollar figures but for what we can learn from them. Each headline sale is brimming with valuable lessons for high-net-worth collectors. In servicing our clients, we monitor industry activity closely to understand how they can better optimize their collections for financial success. Thus far in 2025, various significant collectibles have dazzled with their sales prices, and I've synthesized several key themes that demand consideration from collectors and their advisors. The highest standards of authentication are a necessity. This spring delivered two remarkable game-worn NBA jersey sales, highlighted by the staggering magnitude of their capital appreciation. In March, Sotheby's sold a Chicago Bulls jersey worn in the preseason of Michael Jordan's rookie year for $4,215,000. The jersey last sold in 2009 for just $66,000. Not to be outdone, Kobe Bryant's regular season debut jersey notched a sale price of $7,004,000 in April. It last crossed the auction block in 2013, selling for $115,242. How did these museum-quality pieces multiply in value by factors of more than 60? The elevation of the market for game-worn sports memorabilia certainly played a role. High-end sports artifacts have risen in stature and sales prices to a tier previously reserved for fine art. As recently as early 2022, the record for the most expensive game-worn sports memorabilia was $5.6 million. Today, that record is $24.1 million, supercharged by the sale of Babe Ruth's 'Called Shot' jersey in 2024. But the meteoric rise of the two game-worn jerseys sold this spring is not merely the result of broader market appreciation. When these jerseys came to market previously, they did so without stringent third-party authentication substantiating their in-game use. Upon their return to auction this year, both lots improved upon more informal photo-matching efforts offered in their prior listings, presenting thorough photo-matching authentication from multiple providers. A glance at any ranking of the most expensive game-worn items ever sold reveals that a vast majority of them were authenticated using this method, in which reputable authenticators match unique characteristics of a garment to their appearance in period-specific photographs. The lesson is essential for collectors: Pursuit of the highest available authentication standards is of paramount importance to an item's marketability. Even collectors who have no immediate intention of selling should heed that lesson. By confirming their items' authenticity, collectors ensure their families can realize full value for them in their absence. Failure to authenticate an item and preserve the accompanying documentation leaves inexperienced heirs with a steep learning curve to climb. Regardless of circumstance, obtaining the most stringent authentication could represent the difference between an item worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and one worth millions. Asset sales while living are a critical component of planning. Early 2025 saw Bernie Ecclestone, one of the godfathers of F1, sell his unparalleled collection of Formula One cars—reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars—through high-end dealer Tom Hartley Jr. Ecclestone explained the impetus for the sale: 'After collecting and owning [my cars] for so long, I would like to know where they have gone, and not leave them for my wife to deal with should I not be around.' His thought process should resonate with collectors whose heirs have little knowledge of their collections, as a proactive sale can create simplicity and reduce undue burdens in estate planning. While owning collections through death can offer financial benefits, the right choice for each collector is highly circumstantial and deeply personal. For Ecclestone, gaining certainty about the collection's next chapter while simultaneously ensuring his family would be unburdened by it was a tidy outcome. Collectors can use passion assets to leave a legacy. In February, Sotheby's sold a violin crafted by Antonio Stradivarius in 1714 for $11,250,000. The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, named for prior owners and prolific violinists, Joseph Joachim and Si-Hon Ma, is the latest in a remarkable string of Stradivarius violins to reach eight-figure prices. Though the sale is over, the proceeds will shape the future of music for decades to come. Si-Hon Ma passed away in 2009, and per his wishes, his estate donated his Stradivarius to the New England Conservatory, where he was a student in the 1950s. That donation came with the stipulation that the conservatory could one day sell the instrument, provided it used the proceeds to fund student scholarships. After several years of use by advanced students, the Conservatory consigned the violin this winter, generating funds that will enable the establishment of the largest named scholarship program in the Conservatory's history. When estate planning, many collectors face a series of difficult decisions. Bequeath to heirs or sell now? Keep or donate? And if donating, to whom and for what? Si-Hon Ma's Stradivarius illustrates the capacity of passion assets to cement lasting legacies when collectors plan thoughtfully. In pursuing the items meaningful to them, collectors compose a rich personal story. However, by planning diligently, they can ensure that the final chapter is the most rewarding. Beneath the surface of every multimillion-dollar collectible headline, collectors can find myriad valuable lessons on collection stewardship. Just as assembling the perfect collection requires attention to detail and nuance, so too does its ongoing management. Exercising diligence in collection-related organization and planning can be the difference in unlocking and preserving millions of dollars in value for the purpose of the collector's choosing. The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation. Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Saddened as World's Largest Mars Rock Is Sold at Auction
A rock from Mars that traveled tens if not hundreds of millions of miles before improbably landing on our planet's surface has found its final resting place: the private collection of some secretive plutocrat, whose identity has not been revealed to us members of the nosy public. At roughly 54 pounds, NWA 16788, as it's been dubbed, is by far the largest known rock we have from the Red Planet — the runner up in the category is barely half that weight — and is one of the only 400 meteorites confirmed to be of Martian origin ever found, according to a database maintained by the Meteoritical Society. That such a large portion survived a crash landing on Earth makes it an incredibly valuable object to scientists. On Wednesday, the rock was bought at an auction at Sotheby's in New York for $5.3 million. It's now the most expensive meteorite ever sold, according to the luxury items broker. "You get close to it, you can feel like you're looking at the planet," Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman for science and natural history at Sotheby's, told the Washington Post. "This really looks like a piece of Mars, whereas pretty much every other Martian meteorite you see is going to just kind of look like a little rock." Discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter scouring a remote region of Niger, an analysis determined that NWA 16788 was likely catapulted into space by another, much larger meteor smashing into Mars, according to CNN. The Martian surface is pockmarked with countless scars documenting encounters like these. Hatton declined to reveal who the buyer of the huge rock was. While we can't say for certain what will happen to it, or what the anonymous buyer's intentions are, some scientists aren't happy with the idea of this ultra-rare space rock being locked away, or even being put up for sale in the first place. "It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch. It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large," Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told CNN before the rock was sold. Meteorites "carry information about the history of the solar system that cannot be learned any other way," Paul Asimow, professor of geology and geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, told WaPo. More streetwise scientists argue, however, that this is what it takes to keep the lights on, so to speak. "Ultimately, if there was no market for searching, collecting and selling meteorites, we would not have anywhere near as many in our collections — and this drives the science!" Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester in England, told CNN. For scientists whining about losing access to this massive Mars slab, Hatton recommends they consult with the literal crumb of evidence that's been graciously left behind for them to examine, preserved at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China. "A sample has been taken and analyzed and published in the meteoritical bulletin, so they could go and get that," Hatton told More on Mars: Trump Wants to Shut Down Several Perfectly Good Spacecraft Orbiting Mars for No Reason Solve the daily Crossword
