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| 10 million objects sold on Catawiki |
Online auctions are increasingly popular in Belgium, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic which has prompted huge numbers of consumers to shop from their homes , leading to a boom in e-commerce. More consumers have turned to online auctions to find bargains and find unusual, rare and exceptional items. This trend will persist and intensify, and Belgium is no exception.Catawiki , the most visited online auction platform for exceptional objects in Europe, has seen significant growth in recent months. It welcomed more than 19,000 unique Belgian sellers in 2020 alone, and today celebrates an exceptional milestone: the success and popularity of the platform have made it possible to sell the 10 millionth object, namely an 18 kt white gold ring. .
“More and more online consumers and auction fans are using the Catawiki online marketplace to find special and unique items, especially during this time when a major shift is taking place from offline to online. . Today we are experiencing double-digit growth. So it's no surprise that we sold our 10 millionth item this year. After this important step, we will continue to supply our passionate customers with the best articles: exceptional and breathtaking objects ”, declares Cyrille Cyrille Coiffet, general manager of the Art and Antiquities department at Catawiki.
The most remarkable objects bought by the Belgians:
With the help of experts, Catawiki exclusively offers unique and special objects and collectibles. From a dinosaur skeleton to a lock of Napoleon's hair, Europe's number one online auction platform has collected an impressive number of remarkable items since its inception. Belgian buyers and auction enthusiasts spent more than 50 million euros on the platform last year (an increase of 45% compared to 2019) to acquire the most unique and unusual objects.As part of this very important step that marks the success of the company, Catawiki has drawn up a (non-exhaustive) list of the most remarkable objects purchased by Belgians on the platform:
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| Elephant Bird Egg |
- A spectacular elephant bird egg at 4,600 € Originally from Madagascar, elephant birds were larger birds to tread the earth's surface and suddenly disappeared in 17 th century. All the parts come from the same egg, an exceptional rare object.
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| Napoleon's Hair |
- Napoleon's hair at 2,000 € The “most expensive hair in the world”, namely that of French General Napoleon Bonaparte, was found with his personal items and was auctioned on Catawiki.
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| Lunar meteorite |
- Lunar meteorite at 4,900 € On March 10, 1998, a meteorite weighing 1.425 kg was discovered in the Libyan desert.
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| Michael Jackson's Hat |
- The hat of Michael Jackson at 10,000 € Michael Jackson gave this autographed hat to his former manager. It was worn by the American star and even appears in the music video for the famous song Smooth Criminal.
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| Tintin Comic |
- Tintin comic at 39,000 € An edition "avant la lettre" of Tintin in Congo, devoid of bubbles and title. This extremely rare edition reinforces the value of the object, since only 7 classified copies are known.
Exceptional objects soon on sale:
- "Newton's apple" was painted by Dutch astronaut writer Piet Smolders and his wife Lyudmila Fomina . This work of art has spent more than six months in space. Dutch astronaut André Kuipers took it with him when he left Earth on December 21, 2011 aboard the Soyuz spacecraft to travel to the International Space Station. On the back of the canvas is the original ISS stamp, dated May 5, 2012. The estimate is: 4,000.€
- Another exceptional item will be auctioned at the end of April: a Playmouth Superbird, a unique aerodynamic car that was marketed in the late 1960s as a homologation model for NASCAR racing. It was designed with the expertise of former NASA employees, with the sole aim of being the most efficient and winning as many races as possible. The estimate is: 175,000 €.
SOURCE: Catawiki