NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 1794 silver dollar, which many experts believe was the first such coin struck by the U.S. Mint, sold for a record $10 million at auction on Thursday.

The Flowing Hair Silver Dollar more than doubled the previous $4.1 million record for a coin set in 1999, auction house Stack’s Bowers Galleries said.

NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Vintage photographs by some of
the world’s most famous photographers such as Edward Weston,
Alfred Stieglitz and Man Ray are expected to fetch more than
$5.2 million at auction and set record prices for their works,
Christie’s said.

The 70 prints, which were made mainly in the 1920s, were
amassed by a private collector and focused on photographers
influenced by the artistic revolution in Western Europe at the
turn of the century.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With three box office hits earning $1.17 billion at the U.S. box office over the past three years, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are Hollywood’s highest-grossing romantic film couple.

The stars of the “Twilight” vampire films easily surpassed all other film twosomes in the Forbes list that looked at the top 10 grossing romantic films of the last three years.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Healthy hotels, wellness tourism and the holistic medicine system Ayurveda are expected to be the among the top spa trends in 2013, according to a report that tracks the $73 billion global industry.

Gyms, pools and spas are standard at many hotels, but international chains and boutique inns will be enhancing offerings by adding customized services like jogging routes, in-room workouts, sleep programs, and gluten-free and vegan menus.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The largest group of Franciscan friars in the United States is offering the faithful a new way to pray in the digital age by accepting prayer requests via text messages.

The Friars of Holy Name Province, who staff 40 parishes and have colleges, soup kitchens and food centers along the eastern seaboard, as well as groups in Peru and Tokyo, are among a few religious groups offering this type of digital service.

Jan 6 (Reuters) – The return of the bloody “Texas Chainsaw”
franchise sliced up movie box office rivals with a surprise win
over the weekend, grabbing an estimated $23 million in U.S. and
Canadian ticket sales.

The new “Texas Chainsaw 3D” pulled past Quentin Tarantino
Western “Django Unchained,” the second place film from Friday
through Sunday with $20 million. No. 3 movie “The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey” grabbed $17.5 million.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With its low cost of living, balmy climate and cheap property prices, Ecuador has been ranked the top foreign retirement destination for North Americans for the fifth consecutive year.

The South American nation bordered by Colombia and Peru scored the highest marks in InternationalLiving.com’s annual ranking of the best places to retire.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is expanding its venue and adding two new breeds, the Russell Terrier and Treeing Walker Coonhound, for a total of 187 that will vie for the Best in Show.

For the first time in its 137-year history, the two-day show on February 11-12 will be held at two venues. In addition to Madison Square Garden, it will be extended to Piers 92/94 on the Hudson River, so dog lovers can get up close and meet their favorite breeds.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With less than two weeks left in 2012, half of people around the world think the global economy will improve in 2013 and many plan to ring in the New Year with family and friends and improve their finances and health, a new survey shows.

The Ipsos poll released on Tuesday revealed that Indians, Brazilians and Indonesians were the most optimistic that the economy will improve next year, with more than three quarters giving it a thumbs up.

NEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Fashion designer Carly Cushnie,
actress Kate McKinnon and videogame creator Kim Swift may not be
household names yet, but they are destined to do great things
and will be tomorrow’s young stars, Forbes magazine said on
Monday.

Along with Olympic Gold medalist gymnast Gabby Douglas,
rapper Wiz Khalifa and researcher Josh Sommer, they have been
chosen by the magazine for its “30 Under 30″ list of top
achievers under 30 years old in their fields.