This Day in History: , Da Vinci Notebook
Sells for Over $5 Million.
December 12, 1980.
American oil tycoon
Armand Hammer paid
$5,126,000 for the notebook.
At the time, the amount
was the highest ever paid
for a manuscript at auction.
The 72-page manuscript included a number
of drawings and nearly 300 notes written
by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci.
Known as the 'Codex Leicester,'
the notebook was likely written in
1508. It is one of close to 30 known
notebooks that Da Vinci kept during his life.
Experts believe Da Vinci incorporated
material from the 'Codex Leicester' into
the background of the 'Mona Lisa.'.
Bidding for the manuscript
lasted less than 2 minutes. Hammer
stated, "I expected to pay more."
