Auction Update Review
The Drought Seems Over
For the week ending Saturday April
21st 18 auctions were archived in the AED. Three sales were denominated in euros, 5 in
pounds, and 10 in US dollars. Four
thousand eight hundred and twenty-five lots were offered and 3,769 sold for an
78% success rate, a sale rate that is unusual and suggests reserves are low and
estimates appealing. Often the highest
prices are realized in such an environment.
Total sales were $15,341,007 or 117% of the aggregate high estimate of
all lots offered: $13,093,563. Sotheby’s sale of the Library of Jacques Levy
provided the best overall outcome - $6,415,964 followed by Swann’s sale of
Revolutionary Americana from the Allyn Kellogg Ford Collection - $2,084,030,
and Bonhams sale of Grosvenor School Prints - $1,881,383.
For the week five sales reached or
exceeded 100% of their aggregate high estimates:
Christie’s “Comte and Comtesse
Niel. Une passion partagee” On April
16th: 237%
Swann’s “Revolutionary Americana
from the Allyn Kellogg Collection” on April 17th: 165%
Sotheby’s “Library of Jacques Levy”
on April 20th: 165%
Christie’s “Prints” on April
17th: 148%
Dominic Winter’s Birmingham Medical
Institute – Books from 1500 to 1900:
131%
For the week ahead 28 sales are
scheduled in what is a busy week:
Monday April 23rd Bonhams.
United States and Foreign Stamps and Postal History (19476)
Doyle
New York. Books, Photographs and Prints
(42312)
Neret
– Minet & Tessier. Posters (12700)
Tuesday April 24th Christie’s.
Prints and Multiples (2548)
Henri
Godts Books & Prints Auctions. Books
from the 16th to the 20th Century (18144)
Mealy’s
Auctioneer’s. The Gentleman’s Library
(042412)
Wed. April 25th Christie’s. Prints and Multiples (2548)
Christie’s. Travel, Science and Natural History (4826)
Mealy’s
Auctioneers. Ireland’s Struggle (42512)
Swann’s
Galleries. Old Master Through Modern
Prints (2277)
Thurs. April 26th Antiquarian Auctions.
Rare Books – Online bidstart 4/26 – 5/3
Bloomsbury
Auctions. Duncan Campbell Collection
(35911)
Bonhams. Space History (19632)
Heritage
Auctions. Rare Books Internet ending
4/26 (201217)
PBA
Galleries. Fine Americana – Travel &
Exploration – Cartography (478)
Sotheby’s. Prints (NO8849)
Friday April 27th Bloomsbury Auctions. Bibliophile (35903)
Gonelli
Casa d’Aste. Rare Books and Manuscripts
(8)
Sotheby’s. Prints (NO8849)
Saturday April 28th Dirk Soulis.
Landmark Liquidation of Spivey’s Rare Books and Maps (42812)
Gonnelli
Casa d’Aste. Books (9)
Knotty
Pine. Antique and Estate Books (42812)
Morton
Casa de Subastas. Documents, Prints and
Books (630)
Sunday April 29th Bonhams.
Books and Manuscripts (19992)
Dirk
Soulis. Mid West Art – Prints (42912)
Good material is selling well and
the field is talking recovery.
Bruce McKinney
AE
April 22nd, 2012