Maker: Unknown
Original Price: $1,500*
Worth Today: $33.76 Million*
Sotheby’s is known for selling rare, beautiful collectibles, and the auction house is the go-to venue for anyone looking to sell something valuable (if not downright strange). At an auction in June of 2013, the Sotheby’s audience burst into stunned applause when it was announced that a rare Persian rug had sold for $33.76 million, setting a world record.
The rug in question was a hand-knotted, Clark-Sickle-Leaf carpet from the seventeenth century with a dark blue and red border. Mary Jo Otsea, the auctioneer, said that the carpet was “extraordinary and wonderful” and “deserved” the high price for which it sold.
