Dinosaur Skulls and the United States Constitution: Rare Luxury Items for Sale at Sotheby's

Have you been on the market lately for a fossilized skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex? Or maybe an original copy of the US Constitution?

If so, then it might be worth checking out the ‘Luxury Week’ launch at Sotheby’s in New York, where some of the auction house’s highest-value luxury items are going under the hammer.

“We are just kicking off our Luxury Week here in New York, so there will be sales of jewelry, watches, wine and spirits, we will have cars, we will have property, the US Constitution, a dinosaur skull. This is a week in where our luxury division showcases all of our best stuff,” says Quig Bruning, senior vice president and head of jewelry at Sotheby’s.

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Diamonds are forever

The crown jewel in her current collection is known as the Golden Canary diamond, estimated at €14-19 million ($15-20 million).

The 303-carat diamond has humble beginnings. Sotheby’s says the diamond was found in the 1980s by a young girl who was playing in a pile of rubble in the courtyard of her uncle’s house in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Miners in the area are believed to have discarded the rock, believing it was too large to hold a diamond.

The Golden Canary diamond will be auctioned along with other high-value jewels at Sotheby’s on December 7.

Arriving in a more wearable dimension is the long-lost emerald, another gem set to be auctioned off at Sotheby’s in the coming weeks.

Retrieved from the 1622 shipwreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, the emerald was discovered by a team funded by poultry magnate Frank Perdue 37 years ago.

Perdue gave it to his wife as an engagement ring. Now, years later, he’s auctioning it off to donate the proceeds to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

Sotheby’s estimates the value of the ring itself at between $50,000 and $70,000 (roughly €47,000 – €66,000), but says the story behind it, as well as the charitable benefit, could drive the price even higher.

Other top items for sale

At least as rare, and certainly more fragile, is an original copy of the US Constitution soon to be auctioned.

The print is one of only 13 copies known to exist, and one of only two in private hands. It was last seen at auction in Philadelphia in 1894.

Last year, the other private copy sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $42.2 million (about €40 million).

It goes to auction on December 13th.

Perhaps the oldest item of all is the rare fossilized skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which auctioneers say is the most complete example ever discovered by archaeologists.

You’ll most likely need €14-19 million ($15-20 million) in savings if you want to get your hands on this one, which hits the block on December 9.

You can bid on any of these items on the Sotheby’s website.

Watch the video above for a closer look at the luxury items for sale at Sotheby’s.