Auction Update Review
Rolling into Spring
For the week ending Saturday March
24th 12 auctions were archived; 4 in US dollars, 2 in British
pounds, and 6 in Euros. Five thousand
four hundred and forty-six lots were offered and 3,783 sold for a 69.5%
success. The total of the low estimates
of the lots that sold was $1,700,683 and their high estimates $2,274,384 or
$601 on average. As a group they
brought $2,816,277 or $744 each. The
31.5% of the lots that failed to sell, 1,663 items, had high estimates that
totaled $1,074,080 or $646, a very marginal difference from those that sold. This suggests bidders are choosing carefully. Total sales
were 84% of the aggregate high estimate of all lots offered.
Where bidders saw things they
wanted they paid up.
Four sales reached or exceeded 100%
of their aggregate high estimates:
Kapandji Morhange. Books, Stamps, Autographs, Documents from Mathieu
Varille’s Library on March 15th:
128%;
The Romantic Agony Book and Print
Auctions. Books on March 16th: 112%;
Kapandji Morhange. Books, Stamps, Autographs, Documents from
Mathieu Varille’s Library on March 16th: 109%;
Christie’s. Books on March 21st: 107%.
For the week ahead 20 sales are
scheduled:
Tuesday Mar 27th Bloomsbury Auctions. Books, Autographs and Prints [Roma 7]
Bonhams. Fine Books, Maps and Manuscripts [20135]
Bruun
Rasmussen. Prints. [1213]
Piasa. Manuscripts [18959]
Wed March 28th Bruun Rasmussen. Prints [1213] continued
Christie’s. Old Masters, Modern and Contemporary Prints
[5088]
Sotheby’s. Modern Illustrated Books from the Library of
R. + B.L. [PF1223]
Thurs March 29th Bloomsbury Auctions. Modern and Contemporary Prints [35886]
Bolaffi
S. p. A. Autographs and Books [32912]
Keys
Fine Arts. Books [032912]
Pacific Book Galleries
(PBA). Americana – Travel and
Exploration – Cartography [476]
Sotheby’s. Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints
[L12160]
Friday March 30th Bonhams.
Polar Sale. [19552]
Eldred’s. Americana [749]
Key’s
Fine Arts. Books [032912]
Sat March 31st Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain-F.
Tajan. Comic Strips [18102]
Eldred’s. Americana [749]
Galerie
Koller Auctions. Books. [A160]
Heritage
Auctions [HA.com] Music and
Entertainment Memorabilia – online [Bidstart 3/11] [7053]
Sun April 1st Coutau-Begarie. Antiquarian Books. [40112]
By the end of April we will have a
clear sense of the year. Consignors have
been cautious. On April 10th
one of the best minds in the field, Kenneth Nebenzahl, sends his best material
into the rooms at Christie’s in New York for what is expected to be the most
important sale of the year. The reserves
are anticipated to be modest, a sign of Mr. Nebenzahl’s belief that the market can
be trusted to set proper valuations.
Bruce McKinney
AE
March 25th, 2012