Founded in 1744, Sotheby’s has grown from a modest bookseller’s auction house in London into one of the world’s leading platforms for fine art, collectibles, jewelry, rare books, and more. Over the centuries, it has weathered wars, transformations of the art market, technological shifts, and the rise of digital auctions.
With major showrooms in New York, London, Hong Kong, and more, Sotheby’s connects buyers and sellers from all over the globe. The New York location recently moved from York Avenue to the historic Breuer Building on Madison Avenue. Sotheby’s acquired the Marcel Breuer-designed landmark, which once housed the Whitney Museum of American Art, in 2024.
The move returns the auction house to the famous street where they were first located in New York, a link to the past while marching forward into the future. With Sotheby’s auctions often turning into public cultural events, innovative techniques such as live streaming auctions to digital bidding platforms allow them to tap into new collector behaviors.
A Look at Watches, Sports Memorabilia, and Luxury Items
The GOAT Collection: Watches & Treasures from Tom Brady helped close out 2024 for the auction house, debuting in December. Items sold included Brady’s 2019 New England Patriots helmet, worn in his final game with the team. From his watch collection, a Reference 79030 Tudor Heritage Black Bay 58 ‘Friends of Hodinkee,’ a limited-edition stainless steel automatic wristwatch with bracelet, owned and worn by Brady in 2022, sold for $36,000.
In March of this year, the Important Sports Memorabilia auction included a 1990 3-Point Competition Money Ball and All-Star Ticket signed by Michael Jordan and participants, as well as Roger Federer’s signed 2018 Laver Cut outfit, sneakers, and racket.
The Legends of Sport auction was held in New York in September 2025. Highlights included Wayne Gretzky’s 1998-1999 season New York Rangers jersey, worn during his final game, marking his last point, and Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn during the opening game of the 2006-2007 season, the debut of his iconic No. 24.
Luxury handbags made an appearance at a luxury pop-up salon in London over the summer. Notable items were a collection of Hermès handbags, including a White Matte Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30 Palladium Hardware from 2019, Rouge Grenat Togo Kelly 28 Retourné Palladium Hardware from 2016, and a Rose Tyrien Ostrich Mini Constance 18 Palladium Hardware from 2018.
Emerging Markets
Moving beyond “just” art, the auction house is diversifying its offerings in additional ways by focusing on emerging markets and regions such as Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. This broadening collector base may help make 2025 a milestone year for Sotheby’s.
While the auction market is impacted by various factors, including interest rates, currency strength, and geopolitical risk, the digital acceleration and access to items remain relevant, and Sotheby’s continues to grow and redefine the meaning of what an auction house is.
Upcoming Collections
The rest of the year continues to draw interest from collectors, especially the Royal & Nobel Jewels auction on November 12, 2025, in Geneva. Featuring a magnificent and historical light pink diamond and diamond ring, estimated to fetch between $240,000 – $400,000, a Van Cleef & Arpels gold and diamond bracelet with an opening bid of $14,000, and an aquamarine and diamond brooch estimated to garner $4,000 – $6,000.
In Paris, the Modern and Contemporary Art auction on December 3 will showcase Fernand Léger’s L’étoile de mer from a private French collection, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Jeune femme au chapeau de paille assise dans un Jardin, and Marc Chagall’s Femmes aux visages bleu et vert, both from a private collection in Japan.
Looking forward to 2026, RM Sotheby’s will kick the year off in Arizona as the premier auction of Arizona Car Week, and Premier Napa Valley wines, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition bottles specially created and curated for an annual auction, will be available in Napa in February. Keeping an eye on Sotheby’s auctions gives not only insight into what’s trending in the world of collectibles, but also how the market may evolve in the future.