Despite vigorous criticism about the Nazi-era origins of Heidi Horten’s wealth, an auction of the late Austrian billionaire’s jewelry became the most expensive public sale in history.
Spread over the course of two live auctions in Geneva on May 10 and 12 and an online sale which ended on May 15, this treasure trove of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and tiaras carried an overall presale estimate of $163 million. The first auction totaled 138 million Swiss francs ($155 million), already setting a world record for a single-owner jewelry sale. The second, which contained fewer big-ticket lots, brought in 37.8 million francs, while the online sale added an additional 3.8 million francs to the total.
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