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This article was first published 10 years ago

Can you afford any of these items? Find out...

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 09:31 IST

Image: A Christie's member of staff displays, left to right, the 'Star of Kashmir' sapphire ring, a diamond ring (26.24 carats) and a natural cushion-shaped emerald ring (23.28 carats) during an auction preview in Geneva, Switzerland. Items are expected to sell between $2,500,000 to 3,000,000; $2,400,000 to 3,400,000; and $1,300,000 to 1,800,000 respectively when they go into auction.
Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

There are some items that fetch millions of dollars at auctions simply because a certain celebrity has worn them, while other pieces are a hit because they have more basic value.

Let's take a look at some items that only the super-rich can afford.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

Christie's specialist James Hyslop holds a pre-17th century, sub-fossilised Elephant Bird egg in London. The rare egg is expected to sell for $30,000-45,000 when is it auctioned. The extinct Elephant Bird, a native of Madagascar, was a large bird measuring around 11 feet in height.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Hanson's Auctioneers/Handout/Reuters

A slice of toast is seen on a plate commemorating the Royal Wedding of Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana, before its auction in Etwall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. A slice of toast left over from the breakfast table of Britain's Prince Charles on his wedding day to the late Princess Diana sold at auction for $361. The humble scrap was kept by a former servant of the palace as a memento of the 1981 wedding.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

A worker poses next to a pre-production replica BMW Z8 Roadster made for the film, The World is not Enough, during a media preview of '50 Years of James Bond - the Auction', at Christie's in London. The piece is estimated to sell for $38,000-53,000 at an online-only auction.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: David Gray/Reuters

Josephine Johnson, manager of Rio Tinto's Argyle Pink Diamonds, holds the Argyle 'Phoenix' red diamond, one of the world's rarest gems, during a private viewing at a Sydney hotel. The Phoenix, which could fetch several million dollars, is included in the 2013 Argyle Diamond collection, named after Rio Tinto's Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia where they were found. The entire collection of 64 red, pink, dark gray-blue, orangy-pink and purple-coloured diamonds, totalling 54.99 carats, is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

House assistant Lucy Bishop poses with a Catherine Walker Mughal-inspired pink slubbed silk evening gown and bolero worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London. The gown was worn by Diana during the state visit to India in February 1992. The gown is expected to earn $120,211-180,311.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Olivia Harris/Reuters

A gallery assistant poses for photographers with British street artist Bansky's diptych work 'Monkey Detonator' at Bonhams auction house in central London. The piece is expected to reach between $107,000 to $153,000 in an Urban Art auction.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A model wears a diamond necklace/bracelet by Bulgari (1954) a natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings (1962) and a diamond ring (1962) during an auction preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. Some 23 pieces of jewellery from the collection of Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida go on sale. The diamond necklace is excepted to reach between $300,000 to 500,000, the earrings between $600,000 to 1,000,000 and the ring between $400,000 to 800,000.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A unique white gold, perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases and leap-year, ref. 3448, manufactured by Patek Philippe in 1981 is pictured during an auction preview at Christie's in Geneva, Switzerland. The item is expected to sell between $850,000 and 1,500,000 when it goes into auction.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Pairs of Carrie Bradshaw's shoes are displayed at Gotta Have it! auction house in New York. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker has donated several pair of her iconic Sex in the City character's shoes to be put up for auction to benefit New York City's LaGuardia Arts High School.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

A Sotheby's worker poses next to 'Wolke' (Cloud) from 1976 by Gerhard Richter, at Sotheby's in London. The artwork is expected to sell for $11-14 million when auctioned at Sotheby's Contemporary Art evening auction in London.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

An assistant displays Platform shoes owned by singer Lady Gaga at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris. The shoes made circa 2010 by Emporio Armani, estimated for between 8,000 euros to 10,000 ($10,294-12,868), were worn by Lady Gaga during the 'The Monster Ball Tour' concert at Paris Bercy.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

A worker holds a clapperboard from the film Skyfall during a media preview of '50 Years of James Bond - the Auction', at Christie's in London. The piece is estimated to sell for $1,200-1,800 at an online-only auction.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Joshua Lott/Reuters

People surround the original Batmobile during the Barrett-Jackson collectors car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The vehicle was sold for $4,200,000.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A Christie's member of staff displays a pear-shaped, D colour, flawless diamond of 101.73 carats during an auction preview in Geneva, Switzerland. The successful buyer will have the privilege to give the gemstone a name as it is the first time this item is offered on sale. It is expected to sell around $30,000,000 when it goes into auction.

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Photographs: Mike Segar/Reuters

Artist Andy Warhol's 'Campbell's Tomato Soup', left, a screen print on T-shirt, ca 1981 (estimate is $12,000 to 15,000) and 'Self-Portrait with Fright Wig', right, a screen print on T-shirt, ca. 1986 (estimate is $15,000-20,000) are on display at Christie's in New York City.

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Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters

A Ruby-Ground Falangcai 'Double-Lotus' Bowl Blue Enamel Yuzhi Mark and Period of Kangxi is shown after Hong Kong Chinese ceramics dealer William Chak bought it for $9.5 million at Sotheby's Spring Sales in Hong Kong. Sotheby's said the deal set a world auction record for Qing Kangxi porcelain.

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Photographs: Mike Segar/Reuters

Visitors and media view French painter Chaim Soutine's 'Le petit patissier', circa 1927 and estimated between $16- 22 million, during a preview of Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art sale at Christie's in New York.

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Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

An assistant displays a black Fedora hat owned by late singer Michael Jackson at Drouot auction house in Paris. The hat, made in 1984 by Maddest Hatter in Los Angeles, estimated for between 4,000 euros to 5,000 euros ($5,150 - 6,438), was worn by singer Jackson during the last 'Victory Tour' concert in New York.

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Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A Sotheby's staff member holds a yellow 74.53 carat diamond and diamond jewel from the late 19th century during an auction preview in Geneva, Switzerland. This jewel belonged to the late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmed Shah Qajar (pictured in background), the seventh and last ruler of the Qajar dynasty of Persia (1909-1925). This item is expected to reach $1,400,000 to 1,800,000 when it comes on sale.

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Photographs: Mike Segar/Reuters

Pablo Picasso's 'Sylvette,' painting on bent sheet metal sculpture and estimated between $12-18 million, is seen during a preview of Sotheby's Spring Evening Sale of Impressionist and Modern Art Auction at Sotheby's in New York.

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Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

The No 10 Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi by Audermas Piguet is pictured on a signed Argentinean national soccer team jersey during an auction preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. The lot includes a 41 mm platinum watch (limited to 100 copies), a signed Argentinean jersey, a signed football, the original drawing signed by the footballer and Audermas Piguet chief artistic officer Octavio Garcia and the possibility to meet the football player. The watch itself has a retail price of $85,000.

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Photographs: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

Presenters show a sweater made by Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi over 20 years ago, as they prepare for an auction during a Fund Raising campaign for Education Network of her NLD party at Yangon, Myanmar. The sweater was worn by Suu Kyi and sent over by her family in England in time for the auction. An unidentified person won this item with a bid of $74,000.

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Photographs: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

A Sotheby's employee poses for a photograph with Vasily Vasilievich Vereshchagin's 'Transportation of the Wounded', which has an estimated value of $1.27 million to $1.91 million at Sotheby's in London.

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Photographs: Valentin Flauraud/Reuters

An employee poses with the Archduke Joseph diamond during an auction preview at Christie's in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

A conch pearl, enamel and diamond bracelet is presented during an auction preview at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. The bracelet, which once belonged to Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain (1887-1969), was made in the 1920s by Cartier and is expected to reach between $800,000 to 1,400,000 when it goes on sale.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Paul Hackett/Reuters

Jamie Penaloza, a member of Sotheby's auction house, poses for a photograph holding a porcelain pagoda figure from a mother-of-pearl and stained ivory inlaid Boulle marquetry chessboard with a guide price of 200,000-300,000 British pound ($304,814-457,221) in London.

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Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Hong Kong-based model and actress Lynn Xiong wears a 75.36 carats briolette diamond during a Christie's preview in Hong Kong. The diamond, which is the largest D/1F briolette diamond on record and estimated to be worth between $8.5 million and $12.5 million, will be offered during Christie's Spring Auctions.

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Can you afford any of these items? Find out...


Photographs: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

An employee poses next to a pair of swimming trunks, worn by Daniel Craig in the film, Casino Royal, during a media preview of '50 Years of James Bond - the Auction', at Christie's in London. The piece is estimated to sell for $4,600-7,500 at auction.