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James Drake

17 Dec, 4 tweets, 2 min read

Sotheby's has posted record sale figures this week, which they have credited to a more younger, tech-savvy collector base. To date, they have generated $7.3bn so far in 2021.
theguardian.com/artanddesign/2…

The iconic auction house has sold a record $7.3bn (£5.5bn) worth of art and collectables in 2021 so far, which is said to be the highest amount in its 277-year history, with sales already 71% higher than they had been in 2020.

@Sothebys

It has been said @Sothebys has sold 57 pieces this year for more than $15m each, including Sandro #Botticelli's 'Young Man Holding a Roundel' which sold for $92.2m, their top selling item at the very beginning of the year.

Sotheby’s stated that an “influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors” buying luxury items such as handbags, jewellery, wine and NFT's (non fungible tokens) during the #pandemic has helped "lift sales" to the record high.

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James Drake

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Researchers have discovered that Mary, Queen of Scots, 'locked' her final letter using a paper-folding technique before she was beheaded.
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On 8th February 1587, from her prison cell, Mary Queen of Scots writes for the last time. The letter addressed to Henry III, king of France, sees Mary write, in French, that she has "been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning."

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An international team of researchers from universities including @KingsCollegeLon and @UofGlasgow has found that a "delicate" folding process was used to conceal the secret of the last letter she wrote before she was beheaded.

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I'm delighted to announce that the Drake Rugby Biomarker Study, focussed on the association between elite rugby and changes in brain structure, has been published after years of research.
fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/pd…

This study is absolutely vital in contributing to the immediate changes needed in rugby protocols to prioritise player welfare, now and in the future. 23% of elite adult rugby players had abnormalities in brain structure, with 50% showing an unexpected reduction in brain volume.

The study has been funded by @thedrakefoundation and should represent a watershed moment for professional rugby welfare. Listen to my take on the findings here: