During August, the market will hum

Once upon a time collectible paper auctions were unusual and well-spaced out. In the past, when there was a quiet month, auction houses took opportunities to have siestas. Anymore, quiet months are opportunities to sell material that need extra visibility. For that, August and January are perfect.

These days we regularly cover 250+ auctions a month. During this August however, we expect to cover a slim 140 sales that convert into 4.5 sales a day. For the rest of the year, the pace will pick up again.

While the auctions need to take some time off, the bidders will still be looking for opportunities. That translates into a higher percentage of lots sold when the sales offered are down. Net net, consignors may be sitting on the edge of their seat it usually works out well.

The prices drop a bit while the percentage of lots sold rise. Why? Because it’s August.

For the knowledgeable, this quiet period represents a chance to test their skills.

Here are the August numbers for the past 15 years:

Year	Total Lots	Lots Sold	% Lots Sold	Ave $ Value	Median Value	Total August Sales
2024	40195	34860	0.867	$1,213.00	$250.00	$42,285,180.00
2023	33377	28736	0.861	$1,784.00	$241.00	$51,265,024.00
2022	29170	25839	0.886	$2,067.00	$275.00	$53,409,213.00
2021	37459	33682	0.899	$1,552.00	$228.00	$52,274,464.00
2020	27823	24034	0.864	$955.00	$200.00	$22,952,470.00
2019	23792	20523	0.863	$1,009.00	$180.00	$20,707,707.00
2018	24489	20558	0.839	$1,370.00	$200.00	$28,164,460.00
2017	17676	14180	0.802	$879.00	$188.00	$12,464,220.00
2016	16641	14087	0.847	$877.00	$180.00	$12,354,299.00
2015	21679	15421	0.711	$790.00	$155.00	$12,182,590.00
2014	18576	15612	0.840	$742.00	$167.00	$11,584,104.00
2013	10996	8465	0.770	$1,336.00	$264.00	$11,309,240.00
2012	7273	5499	0.756	$516.00	$156.00	$2,837,484.00
2011	5213	3885	0.745	$538.00	$192.00	$2,090,130.00
2010	3824	2939	0.769	$559.00	$230.00	$1,642,901.00