For Those Who Seek The Exceptional
Last weekend, I took a quick trip up to New York to visit the Sotheby’s Auction House. And, oh my, what a treat it was! For those who have an eye for luxury goods and collectors items, a visit to the auction house is the ultimate destination to see the best of the best.
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the oldest and largest internationally recognised firm of fine art auctioneers in the world. Its global network reaches over 80 offices, with an annual worldwide sales turnover of over $7 billion. What started with book sales quickly grew into fine art and decorative works, auctioning fine jewels, watches, furniture, sneakers, paintings, sculptures, handbags, and more.
In 1976, the real estate branch was developed as Sotheby’s International Realty (SIR), currently reaching 81 countries and territories, with 1,000 offices worldwide and $204 billion in annual sales. Now, with branches in cities all over the United States, we love to be a part of our luxury parent company serving the greater Washington D.C. area here under TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.
Annually, TTR agents journey up to New York City to tour the Sotheby’s Auction House, and this year I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join them! Walking up, we were greeted by the familiar navy blue and luxury branding of our company. Inside, the reception area is home to Maximus Rex, a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull mounted across from a unique 1972 Porsche Classic- Restored 911 S 2.4 Targa. Both are included in the December auction, and both made a great first impression to mark the start of our experience at Sotheby’s.
We toured the jewelry department, handbags, sneakers, watches, and important documents. These exhibits featured one-of-a-kind items that would be a collector’s dream. Needless to say, I was mesmerized! The glittery and sparkling jewels alone had me swooning over the collection of diamonds and pearls. You would not believe the incredible and expansive collection of limited edition and rare Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags! These items and many more are included in the auction house’s December Luxury Week that many of the exhibits were preparing to present at the upcoming live auctions. Some have already begun taking bids online, with prices for items reaching over $100,000 to over $1,000,000!
We met with specialists on each floor who shared with us their favorite pieces and a little history about the collections, and what is expected on the auction floor. We had a wonderful specialist show us their “Important Watches” collection that included three iconic vintage Rolex watches from the Collection of Hollywood Stuntman turned race car driver, Stan Barrett. Two of these watches from the collection were gifted to him by his friend and film icon, Paul Newman. These two watches were also worn by Barrett when he attempted to break the land speed record in 1979. Several of these watches will go up for auction with sales estimates up to $1,400,000! Never in my life have I wanted a wristwatch more than when standing in front of these cases.
One very unique item we saw was a first printing of the United States Constitution, printed for the delegates of the Constitutional Convention – one of just fourteen surviving copies and one of two not held in an institutional collection. Quite the once in a lifetime purchase opportunity! Another incredible item came from the “Fifty” collection, celebrating 50 years of Nike. Among the many collector sneakers were limited edition Nike x Louis Vuitton Air Force 1’s with a starting bid of $100,000, and a pair of signed Michael Jordan 1985 Air Jordan 1’s with an estimated sale of $200,000. These items and many more are included in the auction house’s December Luxury Week. Our tour ended with lunch at the Sant Ambroeus at Sotheby's, a cute cafe located inside the building, where our group of agents reminisced about our favorite pieces in the collection.
It was a whirlwind trip, but I’m already looking forward to when I can return for another visit to our Sotheby's headquarters. For those who might be interested, the auction house is open to the public. There is no appointment required to visit the headquarters and art lovers are encouraged to visit the exhibitions and collections. Sotheby’s New York is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at the corner of 72nd Street and York Avenue. As our company often says, for those who seek the exceptional, there is only Sotheby’s. Truly nothing compares!
