What was sold at Sotheby's very first auction?
AnswerBooks
Several hundred scarce and valuable books from the library of Sir John Stanley went under the hammer.
Source: Sotheby's, The History of Sotheby's sothebys.com
Business · Facts & sources
Auction facts & stats
6 sourced facts about auctions, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
The basics
What kind of dinosaur became the most expensive ever sold at auction, in July 2026?
AnswerTyrannosaurus rex ('Gus')
The mounted skeleton, about 67 million years old, came from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota.
Source: Sotheby's sothebys.com
Going deeper
After Napoleon's death, Sotheby's sold the books he took into exile. What was the final lot?
AnswerA tortoiseshell-and-gold walking stick
The books came from the emperor's exile on the island of St Helena.
Source: Sotheby's, The History of Sotheby's sothebys.com
What was the gross merchandise volume (GMV) sold through eBay in 2025?
Answer$79.6 billion
GMV rose 7% from 2024, and eBay's full-year revenue was $11.1 billion.
Source: eBay Inc., full year 2025 results (2025) ebayinc.com
Expert level
How many U.S. Treasury securities auctions were held in 2025?
Answer444 (336 bills, 82 notes, 26 bonds)
Most were auctions of short-term Treasury bills, which are sold every week.
Source: U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data API, Treasury Securities Auctions Data (auctions_query) (2025) api.fiscaldata.treasury.gov
About how much in Treasury securities did the U.S. government sell at auction in 2025?
Answerabout $30.7 trillion accepted
Short-term bills that roll over repeatedly made up about $25.9 trillion of the total.
Source: U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data API, Treasury Securities Auctions Data (auctions_query) (2025) api.fiscaldata.treasury.gov
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