David Brown unveils latest Mini Remastered
13 November 2020
Albrecht Dürer at London’s National Gallery in March
19 November 2020A £250,000 amethyst leads an eclectic mix of items at Bonhams‘ auction
A 14-tonne amethyst is one of the stars of the show at Bonhams’ Natural History Sale in Los Angeles on 3 December.
Five metres tall and two and a half metres wide, this vividly coloured geode is the largest amethyst ever to be offered at auction and has an estimate price of $300,000-$400,000 (£230,000-£300,000).
Discussing the auction’s other highlights, Tom Lindgren, co-director of the Natural History Department at Bonhams, said: ‘For me an item of particular note is the spectacular fossil of an Eocene turtle. It’s awe-inspiring size is matched only by its fine detail and astounding completeness.’
This particular turtle, Axestemys byssinus, existed around 100 million years ago and survived the K-T extinction event which caused the end of dinosaurs and most other terrestrial species on earth. It is estimated at $200,000-$300,000.
Items in the sale range from $500 to $300,000 in price and include a malachite and mother-of-pearl chess set (estimated at $25,000-$30,000), a cast of a Tyrannosaur skeleton, produced by taking a mould of the original (estimated at $35,000-$50,000), and a meteorite, formed when two large asteroids collided billions of years ago, that was discovered in Norrbotten, Sweden in 1906 (estimated at $25,000 to $30,000).
To view the sale catalogue click here