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