OT: $236.4 million for this piece
 

If this is a $236.4 million asset, then it would seem sports cards and memorabilia still have a lot of room for price increases.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-millions.html

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this thing is hideous. At least that 18K gold toilet could be melted down.

People try to conflate the two. It's apples to rocks, as much as I love cards

Couldn't agree more.

Lots of big differences on both the supply and demand side. Plus they swim in very different pools. People buying fancy art from famous artists come from the upper echelons of society, and draws from all over the world, including Asia and the middle east, with billions to drop on piffle, particularly if it makes them seem like a big deal to their peers.

Card collectors, for the most part, are a long ways away from that world. And very few billionaires run around bragging about or showing off their cardboard collection to their friends.

Most of the high rollers in the art field would assuredly look down their opera glasses at us. (I'm picturing a general overuse of the royal "we" in those circles.)

"Apples to Rocks".... exactly.

But if PSA were to slab it (and assess them a $5 million up-charge) there would be much more common ground with our hobby as it is today.

The buying and selling of art is just another way to launder money. Speaking of Klimt though, there's an interesting movie with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds concerning one of Klimt's work, called "Woman In Gold" I'd recommend it.

HA.

As with our world, the high art world is cool with restoration work when it comes to certified pieces, so another point of commonality there.

Please let me know when fractional ownership will be available.

On pieces from centuries, ago... I'd be flabbergasted if people were cool with "restoration work" on a Klimt.

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that it's very cool and very common.

https://artnewsnviews.com/art-conser...ation-process/

Thanks for the link. That took me down a rabbit hole of internet searching. It looks like there is a possible distinction between "conservation" (including "preventative conservation") and "restoration" although it gets pretty complex.

It strikes me that one major difference between these worlds (art vs baseball cards) is that such work is done in the art world out in the open by respected experts. When a vintage card is listed as having been "restored" I immediately suspect something shady.

Methinks I should have taken up picture painting for a hobby instead of sports card collecting!