21 of the most expensive items sold at auction in the past decade

Darcy Schild,Zoë EttingerJul 15, 2020, 02:56 IST

Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection was one of the most expensive auction sales of the decade.Rob Kim/FilmMagic

Over the past decade, there have been record-shattering auction sales for art, jewelry, and other collectibles.
People have purchased works by Banksy, Picasso, and Jeff Koons for hundreds and millions of dollars.
The most expensive blue diamond in auction history sold for $57.9 million, while the most expensive diamond sold for $71.2 million.

The past decade has seen some record-shattering auction sales for art, clothing, and other valuable items.

From celebrity memorabilia to paintings from world-famous artists, these are 21 of the most expensive auction items sold since 2010, ranked from lowest to highest in price.

A dress Kate Winslet wore in "Titanic" sold for $330,000 in 2012.

Kate Winslet in "Titanic." Titanic

A crocodile Hermès Birkin bag sold for a record price of $378,074 in 2017.

The crocodile Birkin bag (far left). STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images

Audrey Hepburn's personal working script from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" sold for $811,615 in 2018.

Audrey Hepburn. Getty Images/Hulton Archive

Ringo Starr's drum kit sold for $2.2 million at an auction in 2015.

Ringo Starr's vintage drum set. David Redfern/Redferns

A vintage Leica camera sold for $2.8 million in 2012.

The rare Leica camera model. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP via Getty Images

The most expensive dress ever sold at auction was Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" gown, which sold for $4.8 million in 2016.

Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress. Dan Callister / Getty

A Chinese vase that spent 50 years in a European woman's pet-filled country home sold at a Sotheby's auction for $9 million in 2020.

Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby's Asia, holding the Harry Garner Reticulated Vase. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

An 18th-century Stradivarius violin sold for $15.9 million at an online auction that benefited disaster relief following Japan's 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

A Stradivarius violin (not the same violin mentioned). CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images

The most expensive wrist watch ever auctioned was sold for $31 million in November 2019.

A Patek Philippe watch (not the one auctioned for $31 million). Leon Neal/Getty Images

Marie Antoinette's pearl pendant sold for $32 million in 2018.

A pearl pendant once owned by Marie Antoinette. Michael Bowles/Getty Images for Sotheby's

American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's "Sleeping Girl" sold for more than $44 million in 2012.

Artist Roy Lichtenstein was known for his colorful paintings. Oli Scarff/Getty Images

A 1962 Ferrari was sold at an auction in 2018 for $48.4 million.

The Ferrari 250 GTO that sold at auction in 2018. Michael Cole/Corbis via Getty Images

The Oppenheimer Blue, the most expensive blue diamond in auction history, sold for $57.9 million in 2016.

The Oppenheimer Blue diamond. Christies Images Ltd, 2016/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The most expensive diamond sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in 2017.

It's known as the Pink Star Diamond. Toby Melville/Reuters

Jeff Koons' "Rabbit" sculpture sold for $91.1 million in May 2019, setting a record for the most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction.

Jeff Koons with "Rabbit." Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images

A sculpture, "Chariot," by Alberto Giacometti, sold at a Sotheby's auction for $101 million in 2014.

The "Chariot" sculpture by Alberto Giacometti. Chris Melzer/picture alliance via Getty Images

Claude Monet's "Meules" was sold for $110.7 million in 2019.

Claude Monet's "Meules" painting. DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images

Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection sold for $116 million at an auction in 2011.

Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection was filled with rare items. Rob Kim/FilmMagic

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" sold for $120 million in 2012.

Munch's famous "The Scream" painting. Art Media/The Print Collector/Getty Images

Pablo Picasso's "Les femmes d'Alger (Version 'O')" sold for $179 million in 2015.

The president of Christie's poses with the Picasso piece. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, "Salvator Mundi," sold in 2017 for $450.3 million.

A person photographs "Salvator Mundi." FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images

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