Also in 2002, an anonymous bidder purchased the Russell watercolor "Waiting" for $240,000 and then donated it to the museum.

He said he hoped that "Pepper Pot," which was bought by an anonymous bidder, would find its way to a museum.

The amount easily beat last year's winning sum of $351,100 from an anonymous bidder in Florida.

At the auction of the Loeb collection on 12 May 1997 the painting was sold for $18.7 million to an anonymous bidder.

Estimated at $2.5 million to $3.5 million, it went to an anonymous bidder for $6.5 million.

The sum, paid by an anonymous bidder, was a world auction record for any British music manuscript.

Estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, it had five serious bidders after it and finally sold to an anonymous bidder for $68,500.

It was easily surpassed when an anonymous bidder paid $53,282,500 for the sculpture, one of the highest prices ever achieved.

It was bought by an anonymous bidder for £20,000.

The items were bought in one lot by an anonymous bidder for the total sum of £500.