From crypto to Covid: Why auction prices are rocketing

從加密貨幣到冠狀病毒病：為什麼拍賣價格狂飆

＠周虹汶

From Albert Einstein’s notes to a record-breaking Frida Kahlo to a 6.6-million-euro triceratops—auction houses have lately seen a string of record-breaking items going under the hammer and through the roof.

從阿爾伯特．愛因斯坦的筆記到打破紀錄的芙烈達．卡蘿，再到一個660萬歐元的三角龍－拍賣公司近來已目睹一連串打破紀錄的商品被拍賣和價格飛漲。

On Wednesday, the Einstein manuscript went for 11.3 million euros in Paris, five times its expected price.

在週三，愛因斯坦的手稿在巴黎以1130萬歐元拍出，是預期價格的5倍。

That came just days after a storyboard for the failed 1970s film version of "Dune" sparked a bidding war that pushed the price 100 times above the valuation to 2.7 million euros.

就在幾天前，1970年代的失敗電影「沙丘」的分鏡腳本引發了一場競價戰，把估價推高100倍，達到270萬歐元。

Market watcher Artprice credits a transition to online sales for sparking new levels of interest, particularly in the US and Asia.

市場觀察者「藝術價格」歸功於轉向網路銷售引發新的興趣，特別是在美國和亞洲。

"The auction houses were very behind the times. But Covid forced them to modernise and the result is that online sales have been spectacular and have attracted a new audience," said Artprice founder Thierry Ehrmann.

「拍賣公司曾經非常落後時代，但是新冠病毒疫情迫使他們現代化，結果就是線上銷售成績可觀，且吸引了新的群眾。」藝術價格創辦人蒂埃里．埃爾曼說。

新聞辭典

go/come under the hammer：片語，被拍賣。例句： Fleming’s diaries are to go under the hammer next month.（佛萊明的日記將在下個月被拍賣。）

go through the roof：片語，飛漲、激增、火冒三丈。例句：Stock prices went through the roof last weekend（股票價格在上週飛漲。）

storyboard：名詞，分鏡腳本、故事版。例句：The first step in designing a scene is to create a storyboard.（設計場景的第一步是創造分鏡腳本。）