Over the past decade auction houses have concentrated their April New York sales around the ABAA fair; creating an auction house – ABAA fair synergy that produced good results on both sides. This year we’ll get to see how they do separately for while the ABAA show shifted from April to March the auction schedules have maintained their April-May bias. That leaves March less robustly covered. And generally, when that happens both the percentage of lots sold and the average lot value rise. If so, the auctions that are holding sales in New York in March should generally do better than they might otherwise. We’ll soon see.
Here are the auctions that are scheduled in New York this March. They have the potential to excel.
My guess? They’ll outperform.
So what are these sales?
On March 1st Christie’s is hosting a sale titled Contemporary Editions
On March 2nd at Swann: 19th & 20th Century Prints and Drawings
On March 8th at Heritage: Rare Books
On March 9th at Bonhams: Fine Books and Manuscripts
On March 9th at Swann: Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books
On March 16 at Sotheby’s: Fine Classical Chinese Art
On March 16 at Swann: Vintage Posters
On March 21st at Swann: Illustration Art
On March 25th at Mid-Hudson: Arader Galleries: An important selection
On March 27th at Bonhams: TCM presents rock and roll through the lens
On March 30th at Swann: Printed and Manuscript African Americana
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26:
HAMILTON, Sir William (1730-1803) - Campi Phlegraei. Napoli: [Pietro Fabris], 1776, 1779. € 30.000 - 50.000
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: [MORTIER] - BLAEU, Joannes (1596-1673) - Het Nieuw Stede Boek van Italie. Amsterdam: Pieter Mortier, 1704-1705. € 15.000 - 25.000
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: TULLIO D'ALBISOLA (1899-1971) - Bruno MUNARI (1907-1998) - L'Anguria lirica (lungo poema passionale). Roma e Savona: Edizioni Futuriste di Poesia, senza data [ma 1933?]. € 20.000 - 30.000
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: IL MANOSCRITTO RITROVATO DI IPPOLITA MARIA SFORZA. TITO LIVIO - Ab Urbe Condita. Prima Decade. Manoscritto miniato su pergamena, metà XV secolo. € 280.000 - 350.000
Sotheby's Fine Books & Manuscripts Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: Balthus, Emily Brontë. Wuthering Heights, New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1993. 6,600 USD.
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. Complete Works, Philadelphia & London: J.B. Lippincott Company & Chapman & Hall, LD, 1850. Limited Edition set of 30 volumes. 7,500 USD.
Sotheby’s: John Lennon, Yoko Ono. Handwritten Letter from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to their Chauffer. 1971. 32,500 USD.
Sotheby’s: Winston Churchill. First edition of War Speeches, Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1941. Set of 7 volumes. 5,500 USD.
Sotheby’s: Andy Warhol, Julia Warhola. Holy Cats First Edition, Signed by Andy Warhol. 1954. 30,000 USD.