auction

Francis Ford Coppola wants an offer he can’t refuse — on his timepieces.

The Academy Award-winning director is selling seven watches from his personal collection, including his custom F.P. Journe FFC Prototype, estimated to sell for more than $1 million, according to a statement from Phillips, the New York City-based auction house. Phillips will hold the auction on Dec. 6 and 7.

The sale could help stanch losses from last year’s box-office flop “Megalopolis,” which cost over $120 million to make and was largely financed by the 86-year-old director. The movie grossed only $14.3 million worldwide.

The film, Coppola’s first since his 2011 horror movie “Twixt,” premiered at Cannes last year to largely negative reviews. The Times’ Joshua Rothkopf called it a “wildly ambitious, overstuffed city epic.”

At a news conference at Cannes, Coppola discussed the tremendous amount of his own money that he had sunk into the film, saying that he “never cared about money” and that his children “don’t need a fortune.”

Among the Coppola timepieces also going under the hammer are examples from Patek Philippe, Blancpain and IWC.

But the headlining piece is the F.P. Journe FFC Prototype that features a black titanium, human-like hand that resembles a steampunk gauntlet that articulates the hours when the fingers extend or retract.

Francis Ford Coppola’s custom F.P. Journe FFC timepiece uses a single hand to indicate all 12 hours.

(Phillips)

The watch was a collaboration between Coppola and master watchmaker François-Paul Journe that began following a conversation the pair had during a visit he made to the filmmaker’s Inglenook winery in Napa Valley in 2012.

Coppola asked Journe if a human hand had ever been used to mark time. That question sparked a years-long conversation during which the watchmaker grappled with how to indicate the 12 hours of the dial using just five fingers.

Journe found his inspiration in Ambroise Paré, a 16th century French barber surgeon and an innovator of prosthetic limbs in particular, including Le Petit Lorrain, a prosthetic hand made of iron and leather that featured hidden gears and springs enabling the fingers to move, not dissimilar to a watch mechanism.

“Speaking with Francis in 2012 and hearing his idea on the use of a human hand to indicate time inspired me to create a watch I never could have imagined myself. The challenge was formidable — exactly the type of watchmaking project I adore,” said Journe in a statement.

Journe eventually created six prototypes and delivered Coppola’s watch to him in 2021.

“I’m proud to fully support the sale of this watch through Phillips to fund the creation of his artistic masterpieces in filmmaking,” he said.

Coppola first became interested in the watchmaker when he gifted his wife Eleanor an F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance in platinum with a white gold dial for Christmas in 2009, prompting the director to extend an invitation to Journe to visit him at his Napa winery.

Eleanor Coppola, a documentary filmmaker and writer, died in 2024 after 61 years of marriage. Her F.P. Journe timepiece is also part of the auction and is estimated to fetch between $120,000 to $240,000.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4-billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax staged by crisis actors.

The Infowars host had argued that a judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn.

The justices did not comment on their order, which they issued without asking the families of the Sandy Hook victims to respond to Jones’ appeal. An FBI agent who responded to the shooting also sued.

A lawyer who represents Sandy Hook families said the Supreme Court had properly rejected Jones’ “latest desperate attempt to avoid accountability for the harm he has caused.”

“We look forward to enforcing the jury’s historic verdict and making Jones and Infowars pay for what they have done,” lawyer Christopher Mattei said in a statement.

A lawyer representing Jones in the case didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. During his daily show on Tuesday, Jones said his lawyers believed his case was “cut and dry,” while he had predicted the high court wouldn’t take up his appeal.

“I said no, they will not do it because of politics,” Jones said.

Jones mocked the idea that he has enough money to pay the judgment, saying his studio equipment, including five-year-old cameras, was only worth about $304,000.

“It’s all about torturing me. It’s all about harassing me. It’s about harassing my family. It’s about getting me off the air,” said Jones, who urged his listeners to buy merchandise to keep the show running.

Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, and his lawyers told the justices that the “plaintiffs have no possible hope of collecting” the entire judgment.

He is separately appealing a $49-million judgment in a similar defamation lawsuit in Texas after he failed to turn over documents sought by the parents of another Sandy Hook victim.

In the Connecticut case, the judge issued a rare default ruling against Jones and his company in late 2021 because of what she called Jones’ repeated failure to abide by court rulings and to turn over certain evidence to the Sandy Hook families. The judge convened a jury to determine how much Jones would owe.

The following year, the jury agreed on a $964-million verdict and the judge later tacked on another $473 million in punitive damages against Jones and Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, which is based in Austin, Texas.

In November, the satirical news outlet The Onion was named the winning bidder in an auction to liquidate Infowars’ assets to help pay the defamation judgments. But the bankruptcy judge threw out the auction results, citing problems with the process and The Onion’s bid.

The attempt to sell off Infowars’ assets has moved to a Texas state court in Austin. Jones is now appealing a recent order from the court that appointed a receiver to liquidate the assets. Some of Jones’ personal property is also being sold off as part of the bankruptcy case.

Sherman writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

A well-known airline has launched a new scheme which allows travellers place a bid to keep the seat next to them free on both domestic and international short-haul flights

Great news if you hate being bunched up next to strangers while flying – a major airline is now allowing passengers to bid to keep the seat next to them empty.

This handy new scheme, launched by Virgin Australia, will allow flight passengers to have two seats instead of one. The ‘Neighbour-Free Seating’ option will be available for travellers heading on either domestic and short-haul international flights.

If they select the new option, economy passengers can place a bid through the airline’s app to reserve an additional seat next to them – with the auction starting for as little as £14 but rising upon demand.

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Successful passengers will be informed two hours before their flight departure if they have their seat free, reports The Sun. Of course, there is a possibility that someone may book the empty seat. In this case, the winning passenger will be refunded.

It’s also important to note that while Neighbour-Free Seating provides extra personal space next to the assigned seat, it does not include any additional baggage allowance.

According to Virgin Australia, the new option means passengers will have “a more spacious Economy experience at great value”. The new feature comes after a 2023 survey which found that 42 per cent of Virgin Australia passengers said they would consider paying a fee to have the middle seat empty on international flights longer than three hours.

Additionally, 35 per cent of passengers also said they would do the same for domestic flights more than three hours.

Virgin Australia executive, Libby Minogue said: “Our priority is to give Virgin Australia guests even more value and choice when they choose to fly with us.”

She added: “Neighbour-Free Seating is a clever add-on for Economy travellers who want the certainty of extra space without the price tag. After booking their flight, passengers can bid for the additional seat via the Virgin Australia app.”

A similar feature is offered by other airlines like Qantas and Air France.

Those flying with Air France have the option to pay for the ‘Empty Seat Option – My Extra Space’, when they check-in online or through the airline’s app, allowing them to reserve up to three empty seats next to their own for greater comfort, space and privacy.

DARTH Vader’s lightsaber has been sold for £2.7million — making it the most expensive Star Wars prop in history.

The fake weapon, made from an old flash camera attachment, beat pre-sale expectations by £100,000.

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It was famously used in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back in the battle where baddie Vader chops off Luke Skywalker’s hand — then reveals that he is, in fact, his opponent’s father.

Brandon Alinger, of auction house Propstore in Los Angeles, said: “The result marks a landmark moment for the entire world of film collecting.”

“To see a Star Wars lightsaber – the symbol of one of cinema’s greatest sagas – become the highest-valued piece of the franchise ever sold at auction is incredibly special.”

He added: “It speaks to the enduring cultural power of Star Wars and the passion of fans and collectors who see these artifacts as touchstones of modern mythology.”

The 1ft (32cm) green lightsaber was used in scenes by Darth Vader actor David Prowse and stunt performer Bob Anderson.

In the pre-auction process it was described as “one of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.”

Other items sold on Thursday night included the Spider-Man suit worn by Tobey Maguire in the 2002 superhero film, which went for $289,800 (£214,000).

Harrison Ford‘s eight-foot bullwhip, belt and whip holster from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) beat its pre-sale estimate to sell for $485,100 (£360,000).

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Many fled when wildfires devastated Los Angeles earlier this year, but Guillermo del Toro rushed back in, determined to save his lifelong collection of horror memorabilia.

It’s the same loyalty that finds him making another tough decision to protect the items he loves like family: letting some of them go.

Del Toro partnered with Heritage Auctions for a three-part auction to sell a fraction of a collection that is bursting at the seams. Online bidding for the first part on Sept. 26 started Thursday and includes over a hundred items, with more headed to the auction block next year.

“This one hurts. The next one, I’m going to be bleeding,” Del Toro, 60, said of the auction series. “If you love somebody, you have estate planning, you know, and this is me estate planning for a family that has been with me since I was a kid.”

Del Toro is one of the industry’s most respected filmmakers, whose fascination with monsters and visual style will shape generations to come. But at his core, the Mexican-born horror buff is a collector. The Oscar winner has long doubled as the sole caretaker of the “Bleak House” — which stretches across two and a half Santa Monica homes nearly overflowing with thousands of ghoulish creatures, iconic comic drawings and paintings, books and movie props.

The houses function not just as museums, but as libraries and workspaces where his imagination bounces off the oxblood-painted walls.

“I love what I have because I live with it. I actually am a little nuts, because I say hi to some of the life-size figures when I turn on the light,” Del Toro told The Associated Press, sitting in the dining room of one of the houses, now a sanctuary for “Haunted Mansion” memorabilia. “This is curated. This is not a casual collection.”

The auction includes behind-the-scene drawings and one-of-a-kind props from Del Toro’s own classics, as well as iconic works like Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations for “Frankenstein” and Mike Mignola’s pinup artwork for “Hellraiser.”

A race to save horror history

In January, Del Toro had only a couple hours, his car and a few helping hands to save key pieces from the fires. Out of the over 5,000 items in his collection, he managed to move only about 120 objects. It wasn’t the first time, as fires had come dangerously close to Bleak House twice before.

The houses were spared, but fear consumed him. If a fire or earthquake swallowed them, he thought, “What came out of it? You collected insurance? And what happened to that little segment of Richard Corben’s life, or Jack Kirby’s craft, or Bernie Wrightson’s life?”

An auction, Del Toro said, gives him peace of mind, as it ensures the items will land in the hands of another collector who will protect the items as he has. These are not just props or trinkets, he said, but “historical artifacts. They’re pieces of audiovisual history for humanity.” And his life’s mission has been to protect as much of this history as he can.

“Look, this is in reaction to the fires. This is in reaction to loving this thing,” Del Toro told the AP.

The initial auction uncovers who Del Toro is as a collector, he said. Upcoming parts will expose how the filmmaker thinks, which he called a much more personal endeavor. The auction isn’t just a “piece of business,” for him, but rather a love letter to collectors everywhere, and encouragement to think beyond a movie and “learn to read and write film design in a different way. That’s my hope.”

A house full of ‘unruly kids’

Caring for the Bleak House collection feels like being on “a bus with 160 kids that are very unruly, and I’m driving for nine hours,” Del Toro said. “I gotta take a rest.”

The auction will give the filmmaker some breathing room from the collection’s arduous maintenance. The houses must stay at a certain temperature, without direct sunlight — all of which is monitored solely by Del Toro, who often spends most of his day there.

He selects the picture frame for every drawing, dusts all the artifacts and arranges every bookshelf mostly himself, having learned his lesson from the handful of times he allowed outside help. One time, Del Toro said, he found someone “cleaning an oil painting with Windex, and I almost had a heart attack.”

“It’s very hard to have someone come in and know why that trinket is important,” he said. “It’s sort of a very bubbled existence. But you know, that’s what you do with strange animals — you put them in small environments where they can survive. That’s me.”

Each room is organized by theme, with one room dedicated to each of his major works, from “Hellboy” to “Pacific Rim.” Del Toro typically spends his entire work day at one of the houses, which he picks depending on the task at hand. The “Haunted Mansion” dining room, for instance, is an excellent writing space.

“If I could, I would live in the Haunted Mansion,” he said. “So, this is the second best.”

Building a mini Bleak House

In selecting which items to sell, Del Toro said he “wanted somebody to be able to re-create a mini version of Bleak House.”

Auction items include concept sketches and props from Del Toro’s 1992 debut film, “Cronos,” all the way to his more recent works, like 2021’s “Nightmare Alley.”

The starting bids vary, from a couple thousand dollars up to hundreds of thousands. One of Wrightson’s drawings for a 1983 illustrated version of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is the highest priced item, starting at $200,000.

The auction also includes art from legends like Richard Corben, Jack Kirby and H.R. Giger, whose work Del Toro wrote in the catalog “represent the pinnacle of comic book art in the last quarter of the twentieth century.”

Other cultural touchstones in illustration that are represented in the auction include rare images from the 1914 short film “Gertie the Dinosaur,” one of the earliest animated films, and original art for Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” by Eyvind Earle and Kay Nielsen.

“As collectors, you are basically keeping pieces of culture for generations to come. They’re not yours,” Del Toro said. “We don’t know which of the pieces you’re holding is going to be culturally significant … 100 years from now, 50 years from now. So that’s part of the weight.”

Luna writes for the Associated Press.

Aug. 19 (UPI) — Mafioso, a high-pedigree Argentine Brangus breeding bull, sold for $200,000 for 50% ownership — the highest price ever paid for such an animal at a livestock auction in the country.

The sale took place at the Rural Society of Jesús María in Córdoba during an annual auction of elite breeding stock. The bull belonged to El Porvenir, an award-winning livestock producer.

Mafioso, a 3-year-old Brangus bull that weighs 2,041 pounds, is the son of Picante, an elite bull who won several national competitions. His lineage makes him a high-value genetic sire, giving the sale significance not only nationally, but also internationally.

Half of the bull was purchased by a group of ranchers along with Select Debernardi, an Argentine company that specializes in genetic improvement and bovine semen production for beef and dairy cattle.

Mafioso, regarded as a true “sire” of the Brangus breed, is expected to have his genetics used by leading breeding operations, securing his legacy in elite cattle production worldwide.

From a young age, Mafioso stood out. He won the titles of “Best National Calf” and “Best Pen Calf.” In 2025, he reached the elite of the breed as Grand Champion at the National Exhibition in Corrientes.

Walter Orodá, owner of El Porvenir ranch, said the sale price exceeded all expectations.

“We did not expect such a figure,” he said. “The price was not something we imagined, and it really surprised all of us. The bull will be used not only in Argentina but in many countries,” he told the Argentine outlet Perfil.com.

The Brangus breed is among the most prized in cattle ranching for its tender, high-quality meat with excellent flavor. It originated from a cross between the Brahman breed from India and the Aberdeen Angus from England and was introduced to Argentina in the mid-20th century. Brangus cattle are docile and highly resistant to parasites and common diseases.

In recent years, the Brangus breed has become Argentina’s leading exporter of bovine semen, surpassing the long-dominant Angus. Its expansion across South America, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, is driven by regulatory, genetic and strategic factors that have made the Argentine Brangus a regional benchmark.

In 2018, Brangus led Argentina’s bovine semen exports for the first time, with nearly 487,000 doses, representing 49.5% of all beef cattle breeds. By 2024, that share had grown to 56%, according to the Argentine Chamber of Biotechnology and Animal Reproduction.

Brazil is the main buyer of Argentine Brangus genetics, followed by Uruguay and Colombia, with growing interest from Mexico and Costa Rica.

A CUSTOM number plate that was only expected to sell at auction for just a few hundred pounds ended up going for an eye-watering sum.

The ordinary-looking plate fetched the hefty price after it caught an attendee’s eye for a very specific reason.

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At the DVLA auction, the FER 12C registered number plate started out at £300.

But when the hammer fell, it would go for a staggering £35,000. 

It turned out that specific registration was wanted for a rare Ferrari 12Cillindri Spider.

This £336,000 supercar came out last year to mark a 70 year anniversary.

A spokesman said: “FER 12C started at just £300 but ended with a final hammer price of £35,000.

“It’s thought it was most likely purchased to use on a Ferrari 12Cillindri Spider.”

The car is a two-seater front-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer.

It was revealed at Miami Beach to mark 70 years of Ferrari on the American market.

The stunning supercar was also given the Compasso d’Oro industrial design award this year.

Other big buys at the DVLA auction included 296 VS – which soared from £2,200 to a staggering £25,010.

Another was 121 O, which began at £2,500 and went for £23,360.

The plate 2 GUD also saw a big jump from £1,200 to £17,830.

Plate dealer Carl Hanley said: “The results from this auction prove that what once felt like a luxury item is now a smart and increasingly popular way for motorists to stand out.

“What’s exciting is the creativity.

“It’s not just about having your name on a plate anymore – it’s about personality, exclusivity, and even legacy.”

Elvis Presley’s worn Omega wristwatch, gifted to him by Johnny Cash, sold for $103,700 this week.

Goldin, a leading sports and pop culture memorabilia auction house, sold the engraved timepiece as part of its inaugural music memorabilia auction, which closed Wednesday night. Other high-selling items included a D.A. Millings & Son custom suit worn by John Lennon in 1963 ($102,480), a signed copy of Led Zeppelin’s album “Presence” ($19,520) and George Harrison’s sunglasses ($47,590). Goldin also set a new sale record for a type 1 photo — or photo developed from an original negative within two years of when the picture was taken— of rapper Tupac Shakur, which sold for $10,370, according to the auction house.

Though sports and trading card auctions are Goldin’s “bread and butter,” the company is venturing more into pop culture, said head of revenue Dave Amerman. This transition is documented in Goldin’s Netflix show, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” which premiered in 2023 and was just renewed for a third season.

“We realized that we get so many music items and we build them into our pop culture sales, we just want to separate it and make its own event out of it,” Amerman told The Times.

Many of the Beatles items belonged to music promoter Chris Agajanian, who’s been building his collection for more than 40 years. Agajanian owns more than 2,000 pieces of Beatles memorabilia and signed letters of provenance for many of the items in the Goldin sale.

The music auction also included more than 500 concert posters graded by the Certified Guaranty Company, the leader in comic book grading. Poster subjects ranged from the Grateful Dead and the Beatles to Sonic Youth and Blink-182.

In 2020, Goldin sold one of the most expensive albums of all time: a copy of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy” that Lennon unwittingly signed for his assassin, Mark David Chapman, just before the Beatle was shot in 1980. It went for $900,000.

Additionally, the auction house holds the record for most expensive toy sold at an auction: a 1979 prototype action figure of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett that went for more than $1 million in 2024.

Goldin’s Hollywood Props & Memorabilia auction, featuring Harrison Ford’s “Indiana Jones” whip, a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper prototype helmet and George Reeves’ “Superman” suit, is currently live. The auction closes Aug. 6.

FOOTIE legend Wayne Rooney has been booted into third place in the Soccer Aid shirt auction – by a boyband heartthrob and a rising telly star.

The former England skipper’s signed shirt is currently sitting at £1,578, but that’s still miles behind the top two.

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One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is topping the leaderboard with a whopping £5,364 bid for his England top – despite barely touching the ball on the pitch.

Coming in second is Bella Ramsey, the breakout star of The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, whose shirt has pulled in an impressive £1,731.

But it’s not just Rooney who’s struggling to get to the top in the footie world – Brazil legend Rivaldo’s shirt is number five, with a bid of £809.

The former Barcelona man is surprisingly beaten into fourth by Twitch streamer Morgan Burtwistle, better known online as AngryGinge.

Even more surprising, though, is the fact there’s no place in the top 10 for former Manchester City star Carlos Tevez.

Fans have been scrambling to snap up the signed shirts from this year’s charity clash, which raised £15.28million for UNICEF.

But Rooney’s spot behind Louis and Bella has raised a few eyebrows – especially considering he’s England’s all-time top scorer.

It just shows how fast the world of fame moves – especially when you step out of the limelight.

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Louis has a cult-like following, and his fans are proving they’ll do anything to get their hands on his kit.

And Bella’s fanbase is booming after she has been smashing it on screen.

The auction is still live but with bids flooding in it looks like pop power and screen stardom are winning this match.

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LEGENDARY racing driver Michael Schumacher’s Monaco-winning Ferrari has sold for a staggering £13.4million.

Schumi raced the F2001 to victory twice in 2001 – including the famous Monaco Grand Prix.

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Chassis number 211 made its final appearance at the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix where the racing legend qualified on pole position and took top step on the podium.

The icon went on to win the title that year – his fourth of seven – with a records points haul ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

The F2001’s dominance also saw Ferrari take its 11th contructors’ title.

The historic motor was sold by RM Sotheby’s for an eye-watering £13.43million.

It marks the most expensive of Schumacher’s Formula One cars to be sold at auction.

The Ferrari F2001 was a cornerstone of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s record-setting, multiple Formula 1 World Championship-winning pomp at the turn of the 21st Century,” the car’s listing reads.

“Chassis 211 holds the remarkable distinction of being the only Ferrari aboard which the German won both the Monaco Grand Prix and Drivers’ title in the same season, as the Scuderia clinched the 2001 Constructors’ crown.

“A two-time Grand Prix winner with a brace of World Championships to its name, chassis 211 is among the most significant of modern-day race cars.”

Schumacher’s life changed entirely after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries.

The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain.

Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.

Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.

He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.

At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed.

At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered.

But the coma ended up lasting 250 days – more than eight months.

After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment.

Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status.

Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him.

In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system.

Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain.

Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be “conscious”, although few other details were given about his state.