Auctioned by Bonhams in New York for US$269,000.

German Four-Colour Gold And Powdered Shell Snuff-Box Auctioned by Christie’s in London for £200,500 (S$358,910). Full-scale Vintage Sputnik- 1 EMC/EMI Lab Model

This rectangular gold-lined box, measuring 85mm wide, was crafted in Berlin in 1765. Set with panels of powdered tortoise shell along the cover, sides and base, the box is overlaid with intricate pierced gold trelliswork and mounted en-cage, surrounded by chased scalloped gold floral borders. Each panel also features gold birds perched among trees, flowers and foliage. The interior of the cover is set with a miniature of a flautist playing to two ladies, which has been attributed to Swedish artist and miniaturist, Carl Gustav Klingstedt. www.antiquorum.com

This rare vintage test model of the Sputnik-1 satellite previously belonged to the Air & Space Collection of scramjet rocket engineer, Professor Alexander Roudakov. Produced at the S P Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia factory in 1957, this was one of the few models created to test ground Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Its live transmitter is still operational and has been equipped with a new 12-volt battery. www.bonhams.com