5 Most Expensive Items Ever Sold at Auction In the Last Decade
Written by
Jennifer Taylor
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Some items are too exclusive to put a price tag on. Instead, these works are sold at high-end auctions, ultimately purchased for sums unimaginable to most people.
For example, in July 2025, the Original Hermès Birkin, made for Jane Birkin in 1985 sold for $10 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris, according to ABC 7. Offered in the exact condition Birkin left it in, the well-worn bag contained her initials J.B., a nail clipper hanging from the bag’s strap and the marks of stickers previously stuck to it.
To a non-collector, paying $10 million for a used handbag might seem wild, but that’s a small drop in the bucket compared with other auctioned items. Here’s a look at the five most expensive items sold at auction since 2015.
The Macklowe Collection
- Sale price: $922 million
An array of modern and contemporary art, The Macklowe Collection became the most valuable collection ever sold at auction in 2022. Sold in several lots at Sotheby’s auctions in November 2021 — $676.1 million in sales and May 2022 with $246.1 million in sales — the collection included works from some of the most famous artists of all time.
Notably included in the white-glove auction were “Self Portrait” and “Blue Airmail Stamps” by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein’s “Mirror #9,” “Popple’s” by Jeff Koons, and “Untitled” by Mark Rothko.
The ‘Salvator Mundi’ by Leonardo da Vinci
- Sale price: $450 million
Sold at a Christie’s auction in November 2017, “The Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci dates back to around 1500. The piece features a half-length figure of Christ as Savior of the World, holding a crystal orb in his left hand, with his right hand raised in benediction.
The painting was previously displayed at The National Gallery in London in 2011. It’s one of less than 20 works in existence thought to be painted by da Vinci himself.
‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ by Andy Warhol
- Sale price: $195 million
Referred to as “the modern ‘Mona Lisa,'” ‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ by Andy Warhol made history with its $195 million sale at a Christie’s New York auction in May 2022. Painted in 1964, the acrylic and silkscreen on ink on linen work is one of Warhol’s five 1964 “Marilyns.”
‘Les Femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’)’ by Pablo Picasso
- Sale price: $179 million
Acquired from a distinguished private European collection, ‘Les femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’)’ by Pablo Picasso is an iconic piece with a seriously steep price tag. Specifically, it sold for $179 million at a May 2015 Christie’s auction.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé
- Sale price: $145 million
In May 2022, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was sold at a record price of $145 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Purchased by a private investor, the car is just one of two made in 1955 and is considered one of the “great jewels” of automotive history.
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