Christie’s Out of the Ordinary exhibition offers an opportunity to view and buy pieces rarely seen on the market, something a little different from Christie’s South Kensington. More than 150 unusual items are set to go under the hammer on September 5. Collectors can purchase the unusual, the unconventional and the unexpected items ranging from around £1,000 – £200,000 ($1,560 – $312,000).
Some of the most striking pieces include a flying machine prop made for the 1985 Young Sherlock Holmes film, which is expected to fetch £50,000 – £80,000 ($78,000 to $125,000); the Triceratops skull excavated from private land in the US is estimated to fetch £150,000 – £250,000 ($235,000 – $390,000); Enormous Caviar Dish, reputed to be the largest in the world, estimated £80,000 – £100,000 ($125,000 – $156,000); Giant Rocking Horse – the size of a two-storey house, estimated £25,000 – £40,000 ($39,000 – $62,000); Brass Sculpture of a Rhinoceros, estimated £8,000 – £10,000 ($12,500 – $15,000) and a set of eight of Francis Bacon’s paint brushes, estimated £20,000 – £25,000 ($31,000 – $39,000).
Charlotte Young, Head of Sale, commented: “Out of the Ordinary is a tightly curated one-off sale offering a unique opportunity to acquire something a little different from Christie’s South Kensington. Each lot has been selected as either visually striking or with an intriguing story to tell, and many have never before been seen at auction. I cannot wait to welcome the public to the extended exhibition in August and to witness their reaction to the juxtaposition of such diverse lots as a Triceratops skull with a Rolls Royce turbine fan. It is definitely a sale full of surprises that will excite the imagination.”