f you had ever wondered what to buy the friend who had everything, look no further.
An enormous mechanical corkscrew and self-pouring wine machine is to be auctioned at Christie’s, for up to £25,000.
The contraption, built from around 300 pieces of scrap iron, could suit a dedicated drinker who fears using a hand-held corkscrew is becoming too much effort.
Designed by Rob Higgs and made in 2006, the corkscrew is a bronze prototype made with items including drills, spanners, cannon balls, a lathe handle, and clock springs.
Its first public appearances, including slots on The One Show and Stephen Fry: Gadget Man, proved so popular that three others have since been made and sold.
The prototype will now be sold at Christie’s, London, accompanied by a leather-bound book signed by celebrities such as Bono and Damon Hill who attended its launch party in Monaco.
When moving, the mechanical corkscrew will lift and tilt a full-sized wine bottle to pour its contents into a glass, without spilling.
It will now form part of Christie’s Out of the Ordinary sale, the fourth annual auction of unusual memorabilia and eccentric ephemera.
This year’s sale, taking place in Christie’s 250th anniversary year, includes around 100 lots from the Winston Churchill’s hat to Charlie Chaplin’s left-handed violin, Queen Victoria’s wedding cake, and Baroness Thatcher’s government car.
The auction will take place at Christie’s, South Kensington, on September 14.
