At Auction

Becky Markley holds the Wittelbach diamond, a rare 35.6 carat 17th century grey-blue diamond, at Christie's auction house in London, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. The diamond was part of the dowry of the Infanta Mararita Teresa upon her engagement to Leopold I of Austria, given by her father King Philip IV of Spain, and is expected to sell for some 9 million pounds, ($ 15 million, euro 10.4 million ), at auction.

Becky Markley holds the Wittelbach diamond a rare 35.56 carat blue diamond, next to a British first class stamp, at Christie's auction house in London, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. The rare blue diamond which was handed down through generations of German royalty has sold for a record-breaking 16.4 million pounds ($24.3 million) will be at at auction, Christie's said. The Wittelsbach Diamond, a 35.56 carat cushion-shaped gem, has often had its color and clarity compared to the famed Hope Diamond, now on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The rare gem was snapped up by billionaire diamond-dealer Laurence Graff for about 16.4 million pounds ($24.3 million), including buyer's premium.

A person presents the Wittelsbach diamond, known as "Der Blaue Wittelsbacher." Defying the economic gloom, the diamond with a rich royal pedigree went under the hammer at Christie's auction house for a record 16.4 million pounds (24.3 million dollars, 18.7 million euros).

A Silver Charm Bracelet, which is edition 38 of 50, by artist Damien Hirst and containing 17 charms of various sizes depicting cast pharmaceutical pills, is displayed at the offices of Sotheby's auction house in London. The piece, which is estimated to fetch 12,000-17,000 pounds ($18,436-$26,118), has been donated by the artist to feature in a Dec. 17 sale of jewellery designed and donated by top contemporary artists to raise funds for the NSPCC (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

A unique 22ct gold with enamel ring 'Water Ring 1' designed and signed by the artist Anish Kapoor, is displayed by Sotheby's employee Mary Engleheart at offices of the auction house in London. The piece, which is estimated to fetch 15,000-20,000 pounds ($23,035-30,713), has been donated by the artist to feature in a Dec. 17 sale of jewellery designed and donated by top contemporary artists to raise funds for the NSPCC (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

one-off yellow Gilded Cuff Bangle by Louise Bourgeois, is displayed at the offices of Sotheby's auction house in London. The piece, which is estimated to fetch 25,000-35,000 pounds ($38,393.23-$53,740), has been donated by the artist to feature in a Dec. 17 sale of jewellery designed and donated by top contemporary artists to raise funds for the NSPCC (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

A Bonhams employee poses for photographs with a French 'Japonisant' cabinet on display after being sold by the auction house in London. The cabinet, which dates from 1895, quadrupled its pre-sale estimate and achieved a new world record price for a piece of 19th century furniture when it sold for 2,036,000 pounds (US$3,049,563) on Dec. 4.

A Christie's employee looks at an untitled piece by Australian artist Tim Maguire at the auction house's offices in London. The piece is expected to fetch 40,000 - 60,000 pounds ($59,803-89,705), when it features in the forthcoming Modern and Contemporary Australian and South African Art Auction.

An auction house worker looks at Salvador Dali's 'Mujer Desnuda Subiendo la Escalera - Nude Ascending the Staircase' during a photo opportunity at the Bonhams auction house in London. The sculpture is a part of the Salvador Dali Clot Collection that comprises of 44 sculptures to be sold as one lot. The collection is expected to realize 800,000-1,000,000 British pounds (1,300,000-1,600,000 US dollars, 1,000,000-1,300,000 Euros) when it appears for auction.

An auction house worker looks at Salvador Dali's 'San Sebastian- St Sebastian' during a photo opportunity at the Bonhams auction house in London. The sculpture is a part of the Salvador Dali Clot Collection that comprises 44 sculptures to be sold as one lot. The collection is expected to realize 800,000-1,000,000 British pounds (1,300,000-1,600,000 US dollars, 1,000,000-1,300,000 Euros) when it appears for auction.

An auction house worker looks at Salvador Dali's 'Dios Solar Emergiendo de Okinawa -The Sun God Emerging from Okinawa' during a photo opportunity at the Bonhams auction house in London. The sculpture is a part of the Salvador Dali Clot Collection that comprises of 44 sculptures to be sold as one lot. The collection is expected to realize 800,000-1,000,000 British pounds (1,300,000-1,600,000 US dollars, 1,000,000-1,300,000 Euros) when it appears for auction.

An auction worker looks at Pablo Picasso's 'Carnival' during a photo opportunity at the Bonhams auction house in London. The piece from the collection of a friend of the painter is expected to fetch 150,000-200,000 British pounds (240,000-310,000 US dollars, 190,000-250,000 Euros)when it appears for auction.

The World's Oddest Collections

Pennies

Riddle: How can 301 pennies equal $10.7 million? Ask Walter Husak. He recently sold his collection of 301 rare American pennies for that staggering sum, according to the Los Angeles Times. Highlights of the collection include two large antique coppers from 1793 and 1814, valued at $632,500 each.

Tractors

Tractors belong in the field. But apparently, according to city officials in Clovis, N.M., 30 tractors in a field is too many. Wayne Martin, the owner of these 30 rogue tractors, will take the antique tractors to auction later this month in order to avoid fines. Martin remains ambivalent: "Collecting tractors is not profitable," he says. "But didn't cost us nothing either."

Oz

Many collectors are fanatical about The Wizard of Oz. Take Joseph Maddalena, who would like to add the Wicked Witch's broomstick to his already impressive collection. He searched for many years before finally catching the scent. Turns out it was in his backyard all along.

Pop Culture

Real estate mogul Anthony Pugliese recently auctioned his pop culture memorabilia collection because he wanted money to start a green community in Florida. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, bargains were a cigar stub smoked by Elvis, Mel Gibson's sword from Braveheart and a Superman costume, going for $1,200, $25,000 and $45,000, respectively. For those with deeper pockets, Odd Job's derby from Goldfinger and the Wicked Witch's hat from The Wizard of Oz sold for $110,000 and $170,000, respectively.

Barf Bags

Sweden's Rune Tapper has a vast collection of airsickness bags. Tapper's favorite is from Linjeflyg, a defunct Swedish carrier. It reminds Tapper of his first airplane ride when he was 10. He needed a bag then, not for a collection, but for its intended use. Virgin Atlantic took things to new heights when it issued four special edition Star Wars bags, complete with instructions for Jedi combat.

Dog Collars

Last year's Bonhams Dog Art auction featured an impressive 70-piece collection from an American collector, including a spiked iron collar to guard against wolf attacks, five leather collars once worn by pugs owned by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and collars that carried encoded messages behind enemy lines during WWII. According to the Times of London, the collection is valued at more than $75,000.

Odd Art

British artist Damien Hirst decided to auction his recent works instead of displaying them in a gallery. The collection shattered sales records, and buyers walked away with some bizarre pieces. "The Dream," for example, composed of a horse fitted with a narwhal's horn to give the appearance of a unicorn, raked in $6.3 million. Hirst is indisputably popular with the wealthy: Billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen once spent $8 million on "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," or, in layman's terms, tiger shark in formaldehyde.

Calling Cards

Once a formality from a different era, calling cards are now valuable collectibles. According to the Houston Chronicle, Gerald Burg started his collection at age 15 and has snatched up cards from the likes of Napoleon and Hemingway. He even has a card from Mrs. Frank E. Bulter, better known as Annie Oakley, complete with a bullet hole in the corner.