Some of 2024’s most interesting science, technology, and history stories could be found in international auctions. Regardless of their final winning bids, each of the following items and artifacts are impressive in their own right. From AI-painted artwork to hunks of coal, these auction items highlight the wide range of not just artifacts from the past, but future-forward items, as well.
Stegosaurus ‘Apex’ sold for $45 million
If nearly $45 million sounds like a lot for a dinosaur skeleton to you, you aren’t alone. Although billed as one of the “finest” known examples, a stegosaurus named “Apex” almost immediately drew controversy over the summer for a final bid that came in at over 10 times Sotheby’s initial estimation. Billionaire Ken Griffith said he purchased Apex to ensure the dinosaur remained in America, but critics argue such prices can inflate the market and deprive educational institutions of valuable additions. Meanwhile, at least one paleontologist claimed that many in their field were laughing at the exorbitant price paid for such a relatively common dinosaur.
Titanic from the coal auctioned for over double its estimate
While the Titanic itself is slowly succumbing to the harsh conditions at the North Atlantic’s ocean floor, artifacts recovered during and after the historic tragedy went up for auction in October. Some of those items included chunks of coal originally intended as fuel for the luxury liner’s boilers. The coal sold for $1,896, well over its $780 estimate. The same auction included a number of other historical shipwreck relics, including rope from one of King Henry VIII’s vessels and a WWII-era pistol from the SS Ostend.
“AI God” made history as the first auction of a machine-made painting
Ai-Da is an ongoing, experimental project centered on an artificial intelligence-guided robot of the same name tasked with creating its own works of art. One of those, a portrait of Alan Turing called “AI God,” made history in November as the first-ever auctioned painting made by a machine. An accompanying statement issued by Ai-Da’s generative language model cited a famous transhumanist feminist manifesto as its partial inspiration while aiming to honor Turing’s legacy.
Extremely rare dime sold for $506,250
Dimes aren’t always worth ten cents—sometimes, they’re worth half a million dollars to the right buyer. What makes such a diminutive coin from 1975 sell for five million times its original value? A subtle error shared by only one other dime known in existence. US coin designs always include one of four letters indicating where it was minted—D for Denver, W for West Point, P for Philadelphia, and S for San Francisco. But when, for example, an uncirculated San Francisco “proof” dime is accidentally created without the S and then remains in a bank vault for 40 years, its worth apparently appreciates considerably.
Steve Jobs’ own Apple I desktop auctioned for nearly $1 million
A standard, base model iMac currently retails for $1,299, but in September, one of the very first Apple desktop computers sold for $945,000. Apart from its historical significance, this particular Apple I belonged to company co-founder Steve Jobs. And if that wasn’t enough, existing Apple I’s are hard to find, since they essentially ended up being a limited-run prototype. Jobs and collaborator Steve Wozniak only manufactured 200 of them before moving on to develop the groundbreaking Apple II.
Colonial threepence coin receives $2.5 million winning bid
One of the most lucrative US coin auctions this year centered on currency that predates the American Revolution by over a century. Minted in 1652, the Massachusetts threepence is a nickel-sized coin weighing just 1.1 grams and contains just $1.03 worth of silver in today’s market. The historical currency was struck just weeks before the British colonies’ first mint officially opened in Boston, and is the only known example found outside a museum.
Three battered Lamborghini Miuras discovered in a junkyard sold for millions
Sometimes vintage cars don’t need to be in pristine condition to fetch a fortune. In some cases, they can look like they just came straight from a junkyard. This was the case for three extremely rare, beaten-up Lamborghini Miuras long only rumored to exist in collector circles. The Miura was the first supercar developed by Lamborghini, and featured a 350-hp 4.0-liter V12 engine. The 1967, 1968, and 1969 models sold by Sotheby’s earlier this year auctioned for a collective $2.9 million, and are expected to be restored to their former glory.
Government supercomputer bought for $480,085
It’s unclear who exactly would be in the market for a 26,000 lbs supercomputer formerly owned by the US government, but someone was willing to pony up $480,085 for one earlier this year. Previously utilized by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and named after the capital in which it was located, Cheyenne is nearly a decade old, but remained in operation a full two years longer than anticipated. As such, whoever bought it will need to contend with a water cooling system leak after a professional moving company relocates it to its new home.
Double eagle California Gold Rush coin nabbed $1.44 million at auction
Only between 35 and 65 of the historic 1870-Carson City (CC) double eagle $20 gold coins still exist. The one auctioned for $1.44 million isn’t in perfect mint condition, but it’s likely the best currently known. A $20 coin was originally never planned for mint, but the CC double eagles were authorized by Congress following the California Gold Rush’s influx of precious metal.
Albert Einstein’s love letters to first wife sell for over $555,000
The 43 handwritten letters to Mileva Marić—Einstein’s first wife and potential physics collaborator—actually undersold the auction’s initial $876,000 minimum estimate by over $300,000. But that doesn’t make them any less historically significant, or emotionally poignant. While historians and physicists understandably focus mostly on Einstein’s revolutionary ideas, artifacts such as these personal messages are a vital look into one the modern world’s most brilliant minds.
