Where you can find upcoming auctions, you can find up to the minute dealer catalogues
The Internet made it possible for auction houses to attract bids worldwide. With that ability, they invested in cataloging, photography and promotion, expecting they could encourage bidding interest. And they have. Auction sales in the collectible paper category reached $1.371 billion dollars last year. They have been extraordinarily successful.
The dealer model, composed of printed and eCatalogues, listing sites, and shows has also been effective to connect with their audience but has been losing market share to auctions. With our eCatalogues platform visible on our pages under News & Reports, it’s now easier for our sell-side members to post their catalogues, and for our 23,000 free and paid members to follow the increasing flow of offers. It’s important.
The market is mindful that auctions sell 80% of their lots within 20 days from first public posting to hammering down the last lot. For our non-auction sell-side members who use our eCatalogues they will now be limited to 50 days. With 50 days to work with, dealers and other sellers (collectors and institutions) are encouraged to be competitive enough to draw offers and commitments before their catalogue’s 50-day sundown.
In time I expect some dealers will post their outcomes to Transactions+. If we mutually agree, we can make them a searchable source. Their motivations will vary widely. A few will be clear and frank about their pricing experience, to help the field. Auction houses were once fearful too that transparency would damage them. It turned out that buyers wanted market derived pricing. Now they live in the fast lane. I have no doubt retail buyers will encourage dealers to do the same.
Our message simply is there’s room for dealer eCatalogues to transform their model. We will listen and adjust.
Buyers appreciate the dealers. They respect their experience. Give it a try. It’s the future.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.")