A man enters a bar and asks for a glass of water. At the customer’s request, the bartender pulls out a gun and points it in his face. The man says thank you, leaves a note on the bar and leaves without a drink. What happened? This famous question is often used to talk about lateral thinking, i.e. the way of thinking that aims to see things differently and generate alternatives and new ideas. It is a mindset that has always characterised our company and which today reaches one of its peaks with the most original sale we have ever made, that of a SIM card made up of nine times the number 8, which we talk about in the cover story of our magazine where Isabella Donizelli Eramo tells us about all the special features of this very special number. Refik Anadol’s NFTs and ESG, which will change the world over the next few years, are certainly subject to a lateral thinking approach, as Roberta Olcese and Alessandro Secciani explain. New perspectives for an old problem are tackled by Giuseppe Calabi and the articles on Pagani and ADI are a tangible example of how thinking outside the box can create real must-haves that are appreciated worldwide. The balance sheet for the first half of 2021 shows the positive trend of our reference segments, the exponential growth of web-only auctions (+ 275%) and a new top lot: the Rolex Daytona John Player Special sold for 660,400 euros. There were many previews in all fields of art and luxury, but special mention should be made of two recently concluded auctions that together exceeded €2,000,000 in turnover. On 2 October, in the splendid setting of Milano Autoclassica, the Classic Cars & Youngtimers auction registered an incredible enthusiasm of collectors and dealers who competed for most of the lots in the auction. On 9 November it was the turn of Design and a JSA Fabric Collection, protagonists of the sale in collaboration with PIASA held in Paris, which received international appreciation with connections from all over the world and several new top lots for the department. These are two examples of successful auctions, but also of lateral thinking that allowed us to chart new paths thanks to the new ideas of the experts and of our entire team, to whom I would like to offer my sincere congratulations.
Guido Wannenes
Rolex Daytona John Player Special, Paul Newman 1969, in oro giallo 14kt con quadrante nero Aggiudicato a € 660.400
P.S. you can find the solution to the initial question on the Internet, or you can try to give it yourself by using your…lateral thinking!