One of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s famous collars was put up for auction through the Potomack Company, and yesterday it closed without a sale. Though bids reportedly reached nearly $195,000, it seems that wasn’t quite enough to reach the reserve price (that number is confidential, but the expected minimum sale price was listed at $200,000).
The collar, which the late justice wore in the 2018 Supreme Court class photo and reportedly favored, is the “pegasus” bib necklace by Stella & Dot, a mid-range fashion-jewelry brand. It’s the limited edition silver-hued version, and though it’s unclear what the original price was, you can still find them on Poshmark for around $350—the gold version is available directly through Stella & Dot for $219. But there’s still a chance to get the iconic one RBG wore: Potomack Company is currently accepting offers.
Though $200,000 is apparently more than anyone is willing to pay for RBG’s famous necklace, it’s definitely not out of the realm for such auctions of things worn by late notable figures. Earlier this month, three of Princess Diana’s gowns were sold at auction for $1.62 million at Julien’s Auctions; this summer, two of Paul Newman’s Rolex watches sold for over a million dollars apiece through Sotheby’s; and in April of last year, an Eleanor Davis RBG print sold at a Potomack auction for $74,000. Potomack has also auctioned off items owned by Colin Powell and other notable Washington figures.
Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.
