Clapton isn't commenting, but Christie's watch expert Michael Friedman explains that collectors frequently "downsize and reformulate their collections, " which is precisely what Clapton is doing.

FORBES: Slow Second Hand

Michael Friedman, chief executive of City of Hope Medical Center in Los Angeles, points out that many drugs might be efficacious against more than one kind of disease.

FORBES: Is Lipitor The New Aspirin?

"Absent a thoughtful national discussion, the answer is none, " says Michael A. Friedman , chief executive of City of Hope, a cancer center in Los Angeles.

FORBES: Cancer's Cost Crisis