Auction Update Review
The End of Summer
For the week ending Saturday August 17th 11 auctions were archived to the AED; 5 in US dollars, 4 in British pounds, and 2 in euros. This is mostly the bits and pieces period, cleaning up what’s accumulated on cataloguers’ shelves. Altogether 1,098 lots were offered and 952 sold for an 87% success rate. Turnover was a svelte $649,119.
Five sales saw the total of their sales exceed the total of their high estimates:
Rupert Toovey and Co. Photographs, Autographs, Printed and Manuscript Ephemera on August 6th: 201%
Doyle New York. End of Summer Sale – Books and Prints on August 14th: 147%
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Prints on August 12th: 118%
Heritage Auctions [HA.com]. Entertainment and Music Memorabilia on August 10th: 105%
Bruun Rasmussen. Modern Prints on August 13th: 103%
Eight of this week’s 11 reported sales sold more than 80% of their lots:
Doyle New York. End of Summer Sale – Books and Prints on August 14th: 100%
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Prints on August 12th: 96%
Bonhams. Pictures, Prints and Maps on August 13th: 94%
Clars Auction Gallery. Prints, Photographs on August 10th: 93%
Rupert Toovey and Co. Photographs, Autographs, Printed and Manuscript Ephemera on August 6th: 93%
Heritage Auctions [HA.com]. Rare Books – Internet bidding ended August 15th: 92%
Bruun Rasmussen. Modern Prints on August 7th: 86%
Heritage Auctions [HA.com]. Entertainment and Music Memorabilia on August 10th: 81%
For the week ahead 15 sales are scheduled:
Mon. August 19th
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Prints [1334a]. 11 lots
Tues. August 20th
Modern Prints [1334b]. 37 lots
James D. Julia Auctioneers. Prints, Globes, Manuscripts: Session 1 [345a]. 44 lots
Wed. August 21st
Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood. Books, Maps and Prints [BK10]. 735 lots
Bonhams. Scottish Sale: Books, Maps, Prints [20653]. 10 lots
Cowan’s Auctions, Inc. World at War [369]. 42 lots
Eldred’s. The Prints of Paul Jacoulet [774]. 51 lots
James D. Julia. Prints, Manuscripts: Session II [345b]. 20 lots
Morton Casa de Subastas. Books, Historical Documents, Prints and Photographs [678].
Thurs. August 22nd
Heritage Auctions [Ha.com]. Rare Books – Internet bidding ending today [201334]. 242 lots
James D. Julia Auctioneers. Prints: Session III [345c]. 4 lots
PBA Galleries. Rare Golf Books and Memorabilia [513]. 587 lots
Fri. August 23rd
James D. Julia Auctioneers. Prints, Manuscripts: Session IV [345d]. 56 lots
Sun. August 26th
Bonhams. Prints, Books [20991]. 72 lots
National Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera – Art, WWI Posters, Firearms, etc [08252013]
Into the shortening days of August the auction houses pause between relaxing and preparing. Bidders watch with expectation as the lots of summer saunter across the stage, knowing they are prologue to the approaching sales that will, with gathering exhilaration, claim center stage and our attentions soon enough.
Bruce McKinney
AE