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Auction Update Review

Click image above for info
on Swann consignments.

Click image above for info
on Bonham consignments.

The air chills and the season warms

For the week ended Saturday August 22nd 16 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Transaction History database; 1 in Australian dollars, 4 in euros, 2 in British pounds, 1 in Mexican pesos and 8 in US dollars.  Turnover was $2,103,837 dollars as 6,567 lots were offered and 4,433 sold for a 68% success rate. We are in the doldrums.

2 auctions saw total sales exceed 100% of the high estimates of all lots offered: 

Potter and Potter Auctions. Magic Memorabilia on August 12th: 112.41% 
Bloomsbury Auctions. Summer Book Sale on August 20th: 101.50% 


6 sales saw at least 80% of their lots sell: 

Alaska Auction. Prints on August 5th: 100.00% 
Potter and Potter Auctions. Magic Memorabilia on August 12th: 97.78% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 8/9 on August 16th: 96.81% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 8/9 on August 16th: 96.54% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 8/13 on August 20th: 83.60% 
Bloomsbury Auctions. Summer Book Sale on August 20th: 82.65% 


16 total sales were reported this week: 

PBA Galleries. Fine Literature with the Wayne Martin Collection of Jack London, Part Two on August 20th: 73.00% 
Michael Treloar. Modern Literature on August 20th: 56.86% 
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Rare Books, Art and Antiques - Part 2 on August 15th: 51.88% 
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Rare Books, Art and Antiques - Part 1, Day 2 on August 14th: 29.07% 
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Rare Books, Art and Antiques - Day 1 on August 13th: 34.34% 
Morton Casa de Subastas. Prints on August 20th: 47.46% 
Bloomsbury Auctions. Summer Book Sale on August 20th: 82.65% 
Potter and Potter Auctions. Magic Memorabilia on August 12th: 97.78% 
Alaska Auction. Prints on August 5th: 100.00% 
RR Auction. Fine Autographs & Artifacts - Internet bidstart 7/24 on August 12th: 59.20% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 8/13 on August 20th: 83.60% 
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on August 18th: 69.23% 
Tooveys. Prints on August 12th: 78.79% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 8/9 on August 16th: 96.54% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 8/9 on August 16th: 96.81% 
Archives International Auctions. The Rudolph P. Laubenheimer Family Archives on June 25th: 60.85% 

The Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Morton Casa de Subastas Retrato de Moi¯se Kisling, de la serie Cahier de Musique on August 20th Actual price: USD $54,000.
  2. RR Auction Isaac Newton DS on August 12th Actual price: USD $33,445.
  3. RR Auction Gustav Mahler Handwritten musical manuscript on August 12th Actual price: USD $27,117.
  4. RR Auction Virginia Capers Tony award on August 12th Actual price: USD $24,959.
  5. RR Auction James Joyce ALSs on August 12th Actual price: USD $24,651.
  6. Morton Casa de Subastas Un domingo en la tarde on August 20th Actual price: USD $23,040.
  7. RR Auction Alexander Hamilton ALS on August 12th Actual price: USD $18,520.
  8. Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH Das Krönungsevangeliar des Heiligen Römischen Reiches. on August 15th Actual price: USD $17,640.
  9. RR Auction Johnny Cash Handwritten Lyrics on August 12th Actual price: USD $16,771.
  10. RR Auction Sean O’Casey Archive on August 12th Actual price: USD $16,409.
  11. RR Auction Carl Maria von Weber Autograph musical manuscript on August 12th Actual price: USD $12,105.
  12. Potter and Potter Auctions Kellar’s Startling Wonder. The Cassadaga Propaganda. on August 12th Actual price: USD $12,000.
  13. Morton Casa de Subastas Sin titulo on August 20th Actual price: USD $11,520.
  14. Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH Sumo. Redaktion June Newton. on August 15th Actual price: USD $11,290.
  15. RR Auction Martin Luther King, Jr Publication on August 12th Actual price: USD $10,760.
  16. RR Auction Margaret Mitchell ALS on August 12th Actual price: USD $10,450.
  17. RR Auction Pink Floyd Album on August 12th Actual price: USD $9,500.
  18. RR Auction Jimi Hendrix DS on August 12th Actual price: USD $9,315.
  19. RR Auction Abraham Lincoln Check on August 12th Actual price: USD $9,093.
  20. RR Auction Gustav Klimt ALS on August 12th Actual price: USD $8,998.
  21. RR Auction Marilyn Monroe DS on August 12th Actual price: USD $8,892.
  22. Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH Umfangreiche Sammlung einer aufgelösten Bibliothek für Naturwissenschaften und Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften (mit Werken von etwa 1850 - 1930). on August 15th Actual price: USD $8,467.
  23. RR Auction Grateful Dead Guitar on August 12th Actual price: USD $8,084.
  24. RR Auction Richard Wagner SP on August 12th Actual price: USD $7,893.
  25. Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik. Eine logisch mathematische Untersuchung über den Begriff der Zahl. on August 15th Actual price: USD $7,762.



For the week ahead 20 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Aug. 24th
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 84 lots

Tue. Aug. 25th
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Books and Maps. 185 lots
James D Julia Auctioneers. Fairfield. Annual Summer Fine Arts, Asian and Antiques - Session 1. 11 lots
Auctionata. Berlin. Photography. 173 lots
Eldreds. East Dennis,. Japanese Arts - Prints. 216 lots
Morton Casa de Subastas. México DF CP 11000. Photography, Documents, Prints, Antiquarian and Contemporary Books. 307 lots

Wed. Aug. 26th
Alaska Auction. Anchorage. Prints. 17 lots
Bearnes Hampton and Littlewood. Exeter. Antiquarian Books, Maps and Prints. 399 lots
James D Julia Auctioneers. Fairfield. Annual Summer Fine Arts, Asian and Antiques - Session 2. 44 lots

Thu. Aug. 27th
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Interiors - Prints. 5 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics. 1332 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 8/20. 406 lots
Eldreds. East Dennis,. Asian Art Auction - Books. 12 lots
Auctionata. Berlin. Erotica. 104 lots
James D Julia Auctioneers. Fairfield. Annual Summer Fine Arts, Asian and Antiques - Session 3. 34 lots

Fri. Aug. 28th
James D Julia Auctioneers. Fairfield. Annual Summer Fine Arts, Asian and Antiques - Session 4. 17 lots

Sat. Aug. 29th
Cowans Auctions. Cincinnati. Discovery - Live Auction - Prints. 37 lots
Mid Hudson Auction Galleries. Cornwall-on-Hudson, . Prints, Books. 73 lots

Sun. Aug. 30th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics - Internet bidstart 8/23.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 8/23.

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Piccolomini's De La Sfera del Mondo (The Sphere of the World), 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Vellutello's Commentary on Petrarch, With Map, 1525.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Finely Bound Definitive, Illustrated Edition of I Promessi Sposi, 1840.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Rare First Edition of John Milton's Latin Correspondence, 1674.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Giolito's Edition of Boccaccio's The Decamerone, with Bedford Binding, 1542.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of the First Biography of Marie of the Incarnation, with Rare Portrait, 1677.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Aldine Edition of Volume One of Cicero's Orationes, 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Bonanni's Illustrated Costume Catalogue, with Complete Plates, 1711.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Important Incunable, the First Italian Edition of Josephus's De Bello Judaico, 1480.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Jacques Philippe d'Orville's Illustrated Book of the Ruins of Sicily, 1764.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Incunable from 1487, The Contemplative Life, with Early Manuscript.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Ignatius of Loyola's Exercitia Spiritualia, 1563.
  • Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 546. Christoph Jacob Trew. Plantae selectae, 1750-1773.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 70. Thomas Murner. Die Narren beschwerung. 1558.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 621. Michael Bernhard Valentini. Museum Museorum, 1714.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 545. Sander Reichenbachia. Orchids illustrated and described, 1888-1894.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1018. Marinetti, Boccioni, Pratella Futurism - Comprehensive collection of 35 Futurist manifestos, some of them exceptionally rare. 1909-1933.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 634. August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof. 3 Original Drawings, around 1740.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 671. Jacob / Picasso. Chronique des Temps, 1956.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1260. Mary Webb. Sarn. 1948. Lucie Weill Art Deco Binding.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 508. Felix Bonfils. 108 large-format photographs of Syria and Palestine.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 967. Dante Aligheri and Salvador Dali. Divina Commedia, 1963.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1316. Tolouse-Lautrec. Dessinateur. Duhayon binding, 1948.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1303. Regards sur Paris. Braque, Picasso, Masson, 1962.
  • Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: McCarthy (Cormac). Cities of the Plain, N.Y., 1998, First Edn., signed on hf. title; together with Uncorrected Proof and Uncorrected Advance Reading Copies, both signed by the Author. €800 to €1,000.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Stanihurst (Richard). De Rebus in Hibernia Gestis, Libri Quattuor, sm. 4to Antwerp (Christi. Plantium) 1584. First Edn. €525 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Fleischer (Nat.) Jack Dempsey The Idol of Fistiana, An Intimate Narrative, N.Y., 1929, First Edn. Signed on f.e.p. by Rocky Marciano. €400 to €600.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Smith - Classical Atlas, Lond., 1820. Bound with, Smiths New General Atlas .. Principal Empires, Kingdoms, & States throughout the World, Lond. 1822. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Rare Auction Catalogues – 1856: Bindon Blood, of Ennis, Co. Clare: Sotheby & Wilkinson. €320 to €450.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Mavor (Wm.)] A General Collection of Voyages and Travels from the Discovery of America to the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century, 28 vols. (complete) Lond., 1810. €300 to €400.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Mc Carthy (Cormac). Outer Dark, N.Y. (Random House)1968, Signed by Mc Carthy. €250 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Three signed works by Ted Huges - Wodwo, 1967; Crow from the Life and Songs of the Crow, 1970; and Tales from Ovid, 1997. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: The Garden. An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Horticulture in all its Branches, 7 vols. lg. 4to Lond. 1877-1880. With 127 colored plates. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Procter (Richard A.) Saturn and its System: Containing Discussions of The Motion (Real and Apparent)…, Lond. 1865. First Edn. €160 to €220.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Ashe] St. George, Lord Bishop of Clogher, A Sermon Preached to the Protestants of Ireland, now in London,... Oct. 23, 1712, London 1712. Second Edn. €130 to €180.