Auctions are known for unique, interesting, and sometimes weird items that end up selling for six or seven figures. Each year, these items make headlines for their peculiar nature. We decided to look back on what 2022 auctions produced that may make you scratch your head. Here’s what we found.
Back in May, the most expensive piece of art ever sold occurred when an Andy Warhol painting was auctioned off for $195 million. The piece, called “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” depicts famous actress Marilyn Monroe. As the name suggests, Monroe’s face is painted on a rich, blue background.
A Mercedes-Benz race car – a vehicle known as the Mona Lisa of cars – sold for $143 million in 2022, earning the label as the most expensive car ever sold. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe was one of two rare race cars manufactured in 1955. It is named after Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who was Mercedes-Benz’s chief engineer and designer.
A shirt worn by Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona sold for $8.95 million, making it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at an auction. Maradona wore the shirt during the 1986 World Cup when Argentina beat England in the quarterfinals. He scored two goals, including a goal that became controversial because the ball actually bounced off his fist.
Late in 2022, a pair of pants found in an 1857 shipwreck sold for $114,000. The pants were recovered from the S.S. Central America, a ship that was traveling from Panama to New York before it sank and killed 425 people due to a hurricane. The wreck was discovered in 1988 near South Carolina.
A pair of sandals worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sold for $218,750. The sandals were a pair of used brown suede Birkenstocks from the1970s. They were expected to fetch around $60,000, but the final price more than tripled initial estimates.
A jacket worn by Buzz Aldrin during a 1969 mission to the moon sold for $2,772,500. Aldrin, who along with Neil Armstrong was the first to walk on the moon, wore the Apollo 11 Inflight Coverall Jacket during the mission. The jacket included Aldrin’s name on one side and the mission emblem on the other.
A manuscript penned by scientist Charles Darwin sold for $882,000. Darwin, who became famous due to his theory on evolution and natural selection, wrote the one-page document for a publication in 1865. The manuscript included his statement on natural selection, a concept in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment survive and reproduce.
The concept of smartphones and iPhones seems like second nature considering how long they have been around. The first iPhone debuted in 2007, and one of the original models sold for $39,339.60 in 2022. Apple recently released the iPhone 14, a device that can hold 128GB of storage. The original iPhone could hold just 8GB and had limited features.
A Chinese vase sold for a whopping $8.8 million, far exceeding initial estimates of just a couple thousand dollars. The vase, which was a blue and white Tianqiuping piece, went higher than expected due to a bidding frenzy that featured 30 people driving up the price.
A popular hourglass from the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” sold for $495,000. The prop, which can be seen when the Wicked Witch of the West threatens Dorothy, was made from wood, papier-mâché, and hand blown glass.
An unassuming pine blanket chest from the 1700s sold for $50,250 in Pennsylvania, making it one of the more unique items of the year. Unlike other items that are tied to a celebrity or an event, the chest from the late 1780s was passed down through several families while maintaining its structural integrity. The chest had two drawers and a lid with a head-to-waist male figure in the center.
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