Jony Ive and Marc Newson-curated Project (RED) auction a huge success; Mac Pro fetches $977,000 while Leica M camera nets $1.8 million bid

This past Saturday, Sotheby's held its long-anticipated auction that saw folks with extremely deep pockets bid on a selection of items curated, and in some cases designed, by famed designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson. The auction was held to benefit Bono's Project (RED) charity and all proceeds will be donated to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

By the time the auction ended on Saturday, the winning bids were leaps and bounds higher than what anybody could have anticipated. For instance, one of the items up on the auction block was a one-of-a-kind red Mac Pro. It was initially expected to fetch upwards of $60,000. The actual winning bid checked in at a whopping US$977,000.

Another Apple-centric item that was put up for bid was a pair of solid gold 18k EarPods designed by Ive. Initial estimates pegged the winning bid to come in somewhere around the $25,000 range. The real winning bid? $461,000.

Also up for bid was a one-off production of a Leica M camera designed by both Ive and Newson. The winning bid? An astronomical $1.8 million. Initially, the auction house was expecting the winning bid to come in somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000.

Meanwhile, a uniquely designed aluminum desk, also designed by Ive and Newson, fetched a winning bid of $1.68 million, while a customized Steinway & Sons grand piano fetched $1.93 million. Incredibly, the auction house was anticipating bidding to come in between $150,000 and $200,000.

Also worth mentioning is that a custom-made pair of leather shoes went for $12,500. Only in America!

You can check out the full listing of all the products that were part of the Project (RED) auction over here on the Sotheby's website.