Monthly Archives: May 2018

It’s Not Just a Rolex, It’s a Unicorn If you’re keeping score of the world’s most expensive Rolexes, there’s a new Number Two. Last week at an auction in Geneva, a one-of-a-kind white gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona sold for $5.9 million, nearly double the predicted price. The watch, made specially in 1970 for a wealthy German who disdained the usual stainless steel and yellow gold, was dubbed The Unicorn for that reason. It was owned most recently by John Goldberger, the famed collector, photographer and author who has compiled many books featuring exclusive luxury watches. He donated the proceeds to Children Action, a Swiss charity that supports efforts to improve the lives of young people around the world. The buyer wasn’t identified. That same auction featured 31 other Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas, and the entire sale garnered $22.2 million. A watch named the Neanderthal because of its oversized registers, or sub-dials, went for just over $3 million, while three others topped $1 million. But they all trailed the all-time Rolex champion, Paul Newman’s Cosmograph Daytona, which sold at auction last year for $17.7 million, largely because of its backstory with the beloved actor. At Dallas Gold & Silver, we also love and cherish Rolexes, though ours sell for a whole lot less. You’ll be proud to have one on your wrist – and perhaps a little less nervous than whoever’s walking around today with that Daytona Unicorn.

It’s a great deal. We’re in the parking lot. What could go wrong? We hate to keep nagging, but some people aren’t getting the message: don’t buy gold  in the parking lot! A gold-buying store in Edmonton, Canada, reports that at least 17 people have come in over a two-day period to sell what they thought was gold, only to learn it was shiny junk they got from con artists. “I often get fake jewelry in, but these were all the same type pieces,” said Sara Patterson-Robert. The good-hearted dupes reported similar stories: they were approached by people with hard-luck tales and allegedly gold jewelry they were willing to exchange for a few hundred bucks to get home, or care for an ailing parent, or whatever. The real hard-luck story comes inside the store, where Ms. Patterson-Robert has to break the news they’ve been conned. About 300 miles down Trans-Canada Highway 16 in Saskatoon, police issued a public warning about a nearly identical scam that occurred nearly a dozen times in a week. “Like many fraud cases, the suspects play on victims’ emotions,” the police advised. If you’re looking to buy gold, and there are many reasons you should, please don’t go shopping in the parking lot. At Dallas Gold & Silver, we have great coffee, four decades of integrity – and real gold.

Gold is a wonderful element that gives us joy, usefulness and value in many, many ways. But this just might be the place to draw the line. A New York-based restaurant/bar chain called The Ainsworth has just added gold-covered chicken wings to the menu. It’s a collaboration between the kitchen and over-the-top foodie Jonathan Cheban, who has actually named himself “Foodgod” so he fits in better when he appears on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The blingwings are marinated in a batter of coconut butter, honey and chipotle for 24 hours, then fried and dusted with flakes of 24-carat gold. Blue cheese dip comes on the side. Surprisingly, you can indulge in preposterous poultry for a reasonable price. A plate of 10 golden wings goes for $30, while 20 will set you back $60. But to really do 24-carat chicken right (and impress your date), the 50-wing feast comes with a bottle of pricey Ace of Spades Champagne for a mere $1,000. Personally, we’d rather wear gold than eat it, so we’ll stay out of the chicken business for now. Bon appetit! **UPDATE** Comedian Tim Heidecker was inspired to write a satirical song about all this called “Jonathan’s Golden Wings.” You can hear it, and download it for a $1 contribution to the Los Angeles Food Bank, here. So maybe something good will come out of this after all.