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Acker sets $43,630 World Record price with Champagne rescued from the seabed

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Article by Paul Fraser Collectibles

Acker Merrall & Condit announced on June 3 that it had surpassed the world auction record for a bottle of Champagne, selling a bottle of shipwrecked Veuve Clicquot for ,630.

As we reported last year Diver Christian Ekstrom was exploring a shipwreck on the Baltic seabed when he found the bottles of sparkling wine.

In a move that would startle serious collectors and investors, he took one straight to the surface and tasted it with fellow divers, and found it was still in great condition.

The name of the sunken vessel is still unknown, as is its destination, but it is speculated the cargo was bound for the court of the Russian Emperor, Nicholas I, in St Petersburg.

Following a successful salvage operation of 145 bottles, it was discovered the bounty included some of the world’s oldest Champagnes, wines from the famed houses of Veuve Clicquot, Juglar, and Heidsieck.

The landmark sale took place in Mariehamn, Åland, where Acker Merrall auctioned two of the world’s oldest bottles of Champagne salvaged last year from a 19th century shipwreck off the Åland Islands, along with 15 special lots direct from Veuve Cliquot’s cellars.

In a most exciting climax, an anonymous internet bidder from Singapore out-duelled an American phone bidder, Robert A. Rosania, legendary Champagne collector and American real estate entrepreneur.

When asked about the epic battle for both lots of shipwrecked Champagne, Rosania commented, “I’ll be back.” Ironically, Rosania held the previous record set in 2008, that time as a seller, when bottles of 1959 Dom Perignon from his collection sold for ,350 each.

“We are overjoyed by today’s outcome,” said John Kapon, CEO of < a>Acker Merrall & Condit. “We felt privileged to work with the Government of Åland and Veuve Clicquot to produce this unprecedented sale.

“Today proved to be one of the most historic and exhilarating events in the world of wine. To have America and Asia battling it out here in Europe, setting a new world record, is a testament to the globalization of the fine wine market, and this is only the beginning.

“What was equally amazing was the fact that the sale took place in Aland, an incredibly beautiful yet remote region of the world. It just goes to show that the most discerning and passionate collectors will go wherever it takes to acquire the world’s greatest wines.”

“This sends out a strong message that the oldest and rarest drinkable champagne is sold in Åland. We are also happy that the financial surplus that is generated by the sale of the Champagne bottles will go to charitable causes, such as environmental measures for improving the quality of water in the seas,” said departmental head Rainer Juslin of the Åland Government.

Needless to say, the Champagne will make a strong alternative investment – provided it is provably kept in perfect conditions.

Acker Merrall’s next and final auction of the season will be held in the Hamptons in New York on June 25th.

For images and more see Paul Fraser Collectibles: your #1 source for global collectibles news

Paul Fraser has been involved in high-end collectibles for over 35 years, selling more than 0m of rare items, including John Lennon’s childhood stamp album to the Smithsonian. Paul Fraser Collectibles offers a free high-end collectibles newsletter service with expert opinion and advice

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The Historical London

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As the capital city of the United Kingdom, the largest city in the European Union and an important settlement since its foundation by the Romans in 43 AD, London is as rife with history as it is with life and culture. The Londinium first built by the Romans lasted a mere seventeen years and was then burned to the ground by Queen Boadicea and her Iceni tribe.

Being burned to the ground seems to be something that London was particularly good at: after being rebuilt by the Romans, seized by the Vikings and recaptured by Alfred the Great, London prospered and spread like the Great Plague with which it was afflicted just prior to the Great Fire of London in 1666. It took ten years to rebuild the city after the damage inflicted by the fire, and the buildings were fortunate enough then to pass a few hundred years of relative security before being bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
 
The Great Fire, which started in Thomas Farriner’s bakery in Pudding Lane near London Bridge, blazed through the dirty, insanitary wooden city of Shakespeare’s era for four days, destroying everything in its path.

Even St Paul’s Cathedral, which had been viewed as immune from the flames, fell victim to the conflagration and the number of people who died as a result of the fire remains unknown to this day. 

At the time, the death toll was estimated at about eight people, but since then experts have raised the estimate to a possible several thousand; people whose bodies were incinerated by the fire, who fell prey to the violent fear of Dutch or French terrorist attacks, or who simply, but just as irrevocably, died of exposure and hunger after the fire. It has, however, been suggested that the fire was a mixed blessing to the people of London as the plague, or Black Death, had been running rampant in the city the previous year. It could be that the fire, which razed the contaminated dwellings to the ground, along with their accompanying chorus of rats and fleas, also burnt out the disease.
 
One of the most pervasive images of London, however, comes not from the plague-ridden and soon to be incinerated city inhabited by Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, but from the lively and evocative descriptions in the works of Charles Dickens. His portrayal of the narrow, grimy and foggy streets of London, of the snow and Victorian pick-pockets has created lasting images in the minds of many people. Surprisingly enough, in spite of the passage of a few hundred years, there are still many areas of London that remain so Dickensian that it comes as something of a shock to see people clad in denims and t-shirts talking animatedly on their mobile phones while their Doc Marten-encased feet tread exactly the same cobbles and pavements as the dirty, bare feet of the fictional David Copperfield or the Artful Dodger.
 
The modern city of London, however, is still flavoured with strong overtones of the historical city. Ancient buildings rub shoulders with brand new edifices; old Portland stone is just as common a construction material as glass and steel. In spite of the vast urban sprawl of London, the core still retains its medieval boundaries, although the name London refers to the entire metropolis. While London does cover an enormous area, each district has its own distinct flavour and characteristics, and whether you prefer the bohemian lifestyle of Camden Town, or the upmarket shops of Oxford Street, Speedhotels.com will be able to provide you with a range of good quality, cheap hotels to make your stay in London an enjoyable one.

Sarah Townshend

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Decorate Your Work Place with Historic Golf Photos

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Article by Chris Robertson

Golf art and photos can be used to enhance just about any type of work place. Perhaps you’ve recently visited someone’s office and noticed an autographed golf photo of a famous golfer on his or her desk or hanging on the wall. Or maybe you’ve been sitting in a doctor’s waiting room and noticed golf course pics displayed on the walls instead of traditional landscape paintings. If you own a business and love the game of golf, then golf prints might be just the right type of workplace decor for you.

Inspire Your Clients

In the business world, your image means a great deal to clients. One way to reflect a professional image is to decorate your visitor’s welcome area, office and even the hallways with golf photos and art. Find authentic, licensed golf pictures of famous golfers from the PGA and LPGA. You can easily find photos of golfers such as Carl Schwartzel, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Arnold Palmer and others affordably by shopping at an online golf print store. Golf photos work great for professional offices, such as accounting and law firms, financial consultants, real estate offices, B2B offices, doctor and dentist offices, and other similar businesses. Set up a display of golf awards if you often play in local tournaments and enhance the display with golf memorabilia or collectibles, a golf flag and more. The golf prints and displays will likely become a theme of conversation as clients or patients wait for their appointment.

Restaurant Golf Decor

If you own a restaurant, use humorous golf photos, golf course pics and signed photos of golfers to decorate throughout the restaurant. Hang them near dining tables so guests can view and read the signatures or captions while awaiting their meal. You can also set up golf memorabilia displays throughout if you wish to have a complete golf theme in your restaurant. This type of decor works very well in restaurants that serve in or near a golf resort area.

Hotels

If you own or manage a hotel and need new decor ideas, consider golf course pics or golf art. Hotels generally have multiple paintings or framed photos in every guest room. Golf decor will definitely work well if the hotel is located in an area where there are multiple courses that attract thousands of golfers each year. Keeping a golf theme throughout will make it easy to decorate, and you can possibly save money by finding deals for bulk orders on golf prints.

Golf Tournaments

If your company plans to sponsor a local tournament, check with online venues for golf tournament ideas, golf gifts for men and women, awards and more. Create golf displays at your place of business using golf collectibles and prints to promote the tournament. Place an announcement in the local newspaper and on radio, and don’t forget to promote the event on your company’s website. Hosting golf tournaments for local charities enables you to build solid public relations and give back to your community while enjoying your favorite sport!

Wherever you choose to buy golf items, check for authenticity of the prints and photos before buying. Buying online enables you to choose from hundreds of golf photos with various types of frames, colors and sizes to meet your needs. It’s easy to view golf art and photographs online, and you can order multiple items at once to possibly save money on shipping costs.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world’s MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.Learn more about Golf Photos.

Nepal is known as the abode of the gods. For many years a secret, unknown country, it was, in the 1950s, faced with making a leap from the 11th century to modern times. Visited first by mountaineers and trekkers, it later became the haunt of hippies. The Nepalese Government has set aside more than 35 per cent of the total area of the country as natural sanctuaries. There are now nine National Parks, three conservation areas and two wildlife reserves, located both in the mountainous zones as well as in the tropical plains. The Terai lowlands in the south form the richest habitat in the country. Five protected areas are located in the region and many species of wildlife, including the rare Royal Bengal tiger and leopard, can be observed. Kathmandu Kathmandu, the capital and also the cultural, commercial and business hub of the Kingdom, is a magical place. In the center is Durbar Square where there is a wonderful collection of temples and shrines, both Buddhist and Hindu. They are generally built in the pagoda style with a mass of intricate exterior carving. The old Royal Palace is in the square, as is the Statue of Hanuman the Monkey God, clad in a red cloak. Here also is the house of the living goddess — the Kumari. A few kilometers from Kathmandu is the hugely impressive Bodnath Stupa. It has become a center of Tibetan exile culture and is a good place to buy Tibetan handicrafts and artifacts. Climbing upwards from the city one can reach the famous Buddhist stupa of …
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