Why would you want to pay a whopping £47K for a tea cup and a saucer? Well if we say that the Chinese cup and the saucer was once used by the singing sensation Lady Gaga then it will not take long for you to change your mind. Well if you intend to buy the Chinese cup and saucer then you have lost your chance for it was auctioned in Japan for a whopping £46.5K. It may sound slightly bizarre for a tea and saucer to be auctioned at that price but it is primarily the cause behind the auction that invited so many bids. The proceeds of the auction will go to artists who were affected by the catastrophic tsunami that hit Japan in March last year.
The tsunami claimed several lives last year and was the worst ever natural calamity to hit Japan after World War II. The calamity also caused the world’s worst nuclear accident after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The tsunami and the destruction it caused last year severely affected Japan’s tourism industry since many travelers’ restrained themselves from traveling to the country. Lady Gaga has visited the country twice after the disaster and is encouraging travelers from around the world to follow in her footsteps.
Read on to know more about the auction and Lady Gaga’s priced cup.
Lady Gaga, a Tea Cup and an Excellent Cause
When Lady Gaga was in Japan last year in June she sipped tea from this very exquisite China tea cup at a press conference in Tokyo. The cup had ‘Play for Japan’ printed on it. Lady Gaga was in Japan last year to participate in an event organised by MTV. The event was titled ‘Music for Japan’ and generated funds and aid for the victims of the tsunami. It was at this very function that “The Fame†singer sipped tea from the cup.
It was Lady Gaga’s intention then to auction the cup and generate funds to rehabilitate artists who suffered immensely during the tsunami last year. The money will be used to give them financial assistance if they intend to study in the United States. She then declared to the reporters at the press conference that at the time of the auction the cup will bear the message ‘We Pray for Japan’ and will also have her lipstick mark. The Born this Way singer will also autograph the cup.
The tea cup was one amongst the several items that were put up for sale at the auction. It was, however, the second most expensive item on the list. The top most being the Kawai crystal piano which was auctioned for £85,413, which would make it 11,001,000 Yen. The piano was used by Yoshiki of Japan’s popular Rock band Japan X.
The singer will be in Japan again this week since she is on an Asian tour. Lady Gaga’s has always hit headlines for her wild dressing sense and bizarre public acts but it is also this philanthropic side of hers that has her fans going gaga after her, literally!
