ARTCURIAL, FRANCE
Fife buyers are lottery winners
Two very lucky buyers must be rejoicing after snapping up two of the most feted grand old ladies of the classic sailing world for what appear to be astounding bargain prices.
To the amazement of pundits, the pair of Fifes were both offered at “no reserve” at a Paris classic car auction; that means simply that the highest bid is guaranteed to buy. The 77ft 1in 1908-built Mariska, one of just four survivors of the 15-Metre class, sold for £323,250 (€381,440) against a pre-sale guide price of £600,000-£1.25m. The 95ft 2in, 1911-built Mariquita, the lone survivor of the 19-Metre category which was the forerunner of the J-class, sold for £424,250 (€500,640) against an estimate of £760,000-£1.45m. With those estimates in mind you could…