Pro Auction

💍 *Christie’s London Jewels Sale: $9.4M Total, Fancy Diamond Pendant Stars* 💍

Christie’s “London Jewels” auction on June 5 closed at *£7.1M $9.4M* with 190+ lots sold. Cartier, Bulgari, Graff + Van Cleef all found buyers.

*Top 10 highlights:*
1. *66.40ct fancy-orange-brown diamond pendant* – £355,600 $474K. More than 2x high estimate. Briolette-cut, I1, type IIa.
2. *Cartier 1990s zebra bangle* – £355,600 $474K. Diamonds + onyx + emerald eyes.
3. *1890s pink imperial topaz brooch* – £330,200 $440K. 6x high estimate.
4. *Bulgari Serpenti bangle* – £330,200 $440K. Diamonds + pear diamond eyes.
5. *130 natural saltwater pearl necklace* – £215,900 $288K.
6. *Cartier bamboo set* – £190,500 $254K. 3 necklaces, 2 bangles, earrings.
7. *Bulgari diamond ring* – £177,800 $237K.
8. *Colombian emerald + diamond pendant* – £127,000 $169K.
9. *Graff D-color pear diamond earrings* – £120,650 $161K. 3.65ct + 3.71ct, internally flawless.
10. *Van Cleef & Arpels coral/chrysoprase parure* – £114,300 $152K. Converts to 2 bracelets.

Several pieces blew past estimates, esp. the Victorian topaz brooch at 6x.

🎧 *UK Rave History: ‘Members Only’ Archive Heads to Bonhams, Est. £80,000* 🎧

Bonhams is auctioning 1,700 pieces of UK club culture history from June 15-25, 2026. The ‘Members Only’ Archive is valued *£60,000 - £80,000*.

Curated over 35 years by author Rob Ford, it covers the late 80s/early 90s acid house explosion. Includes membership cards, guest passes + private invites from Shoom, Ministry of Sound, Fantazia, Raindance, FAC51 The Haçienda.

*Standout lot*: The first-ever business card for The Prodigy, hand-designed by Liam Howlett.

10 cards from the archive were just donated to the V&A Museum’s permanent collection.

💎 *Christie’s Hong Kong Auction Hits $36M, Patek Philippe Leads at $1.8M* 💎

Christie’s “Important Watches” sale in Hong Kong closed at *$35.6M HKD $279.5M* on May 27-28. Three collections sold 100% with 6 new world records.

*Highlights:*
1. *Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon* – $1.8M HKD $14.2M. Double dial, 12 complications inc. perpetual calendar, moon phases, sky chart.
2. *F.P. Journe Black Label Parking Meter* – $1.5M HKD $12.1M. World record for the model.
3. *Greubel Forsey/Philippe Dufour Michel Boulanger* – $1.5M HKD $12.1M. Christie’s record for this 18k white gold tourbillon.
4. *Patek Philippe 18k platinum cushion* – $891K HKD $7M. World record for the model.

Collectors from 45 countries bid, with 47% of new buyers under 40. Nearly half the sales were online.

✨ Bid on Five-Star Luxury: Designer Furniture & Prestigious Hotel Interiors✨

Pro Auction Limited has opened bidding on elite designer furniture, lighting, and interiors from prestigious hotels. Own the elegance. Live the luxury. Auction is live now on Bidspotter.

🖥️ *1990s Supercomputers Worth Millions Hit Auction* 🖥️

Three 1990s Cray supercomputers – once the “Bugatti Veyron of computers” – are going under the hammer at RWB Auctions, Wiltshire.

The collection belongs to IT collector Dan Goldsmith. One machine, the *Cray Triton T-932*, once owned by the UK govt, had a $39M £29M list price. Only 3 are believed left worldwide. Starting bid: £40,000.

The other is *“Typhoon”*, the first Cray T3D and once Europe’s fastest supercomputer. It cost ∼$15M £11M new. Starting bid: £60,000.

Each unit weighs 3-4 tonnes, stands 2m tall, and needs tonne-sized cooling units. Goldsmith says a modern gaming PC is now “a couple of magnitudes more powerful”. He’s selling because he can’t store them much longer.

Auction ends 18:00 BST, 31 May. No govt secrets inside – the data tech was destroyed before Goldsmith got it.

🐱 *Skip-Dive Find: Louis Wain Cat Paintings Sell for £16,000* 🐱

Two Louis Wain paintings found in a skip by dog walkers in Pembrokeshire have sold for *£16,000* at Rogers Jones Auctioneers.

The couple spotted them while walking their dog, hung them on their walls for years, then gifted one to their daughter-in-law who loves cats. After researching Wain, they were “gobsmacked” to learn he was a celebrated British artist famous for his cat drawings in the late 19th/early 20th century.

Wain often struggled for money and sold work for small sums. He later became one of Britain’s most influential artists. The 2021 film _The Electrical Life of Louis Wain_ starring Benedict Cumberbatch brought him renewed fame.

Auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones says skip finds are rare but not unheard of. Sellers must sign to confirm ownership before auction.

🏘️ *£3M Edinburgh Property Portfolio Seized and Put Up for Auction* 🏘️

Edinburgh businessman Mark Fortune’s property portfolio, worth around *£3 million*, has been put up for auction after being seized by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The sale includes *5 flats, commercial premises, and a £1.1M house* across the city. The properties were taken under sequestration – Scotland’s term for bankruptcy – to settle outstanding debts owed to the council.

Fortune has held extensive property interests in Edinburgh for decades. This follows other properties of his sold at auction last year through the same process.

🚗 *Barn-Found 1934 Crossley Streamline Sells for £62,000* 🚗

A “highly rare” *1934 Crossley Streamline* car, hidden in a Cambridgeshire barn for 40 years, sold for *£62,000* at Humbert & Ellis.

Only 25 were ever made, designed by Sir Denniston Burney who also worked on the R100 airship. This one is believed to be one of just *2 known to exist* – the other is owned by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. Bidding started at £500 and drew 100+ bids from 8 international buyers.

The car was part of a haul of 7 dust-covered vintage cars found near Royston, which raised *£110,000* total. Other sales:
- 1925 Alcyon Cyclecar: £19,780
- 1924 Françon Voiturette Cyclecar: £14,000
- 1932 Alvis 12/50 with rumble seat: £12,650

✍️ *Admiral Nelson Letter Sells for £6k at Charlie Watts Estate Auction* ✍️

A handwritten letter from *Admiral Horatio Nelson*, dated 11 Sept 1795, sold for *£6,000* at Bearnes, Hampton and Littlewood in Exeter. It was part of the auction of 870+ items from Rolling Stones drummer *Charlie Watts* and wife Shirley’s home, Halsdon House in Devon.

The letter was written 2 years before Nelson lost his right arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. His handwriting is still neat and the signature clear, before he switched to writing left-handed.

The 2-day sale totaled *£410,000*. Top lot was a 1939 Cadillac Series 61 at £26,000 – Watts owned it but never drove, as he didn’t have a licence. Other highlights:
- Life-size carved wooden pony: £7,500
- W.E. Johns Biggles first edition book collection: £2,600

Watts died in 2021, Shirley in 2022.

🎨 *Jackson Po***ck’s _Number 7A, 1948_ Sells for $181M, Sets Artist Record* 🎨

Jackson Po***ck’s drip painting _Number 7A, 1948_ sold for *$181 million (£135m)* at Christie’s New York on Monday, becoming the most expensive Po***ck ever sold at auction.

The sale makes it the *4th most expensive artwork ever sold at auction*, according to ARTnews. The previous Po***ck record was $61.2M for _Number 17, 1951_ in 2021.

Christie’s called it one of history’s “first truly abstract paintings.” The work features Po***ck’s signature black paint drips with touches of red across a 3m+ canvas. It came from the collection of media magnate SI Newhouse.

The same sale also saw Constantin Brancusi’s bronze _Danaide_ go for $107.6M, the 2nd highest price for a sculpture at auction. Works by Mark Rothko and Joan Miró also set new artist records.

***ck