Auction Update Review
The Market is Alive
For the week ending Saturday April
7th 23 auctions were archived, 5 in British pounds, 4 in Swiss
francs, 7 each in euros and US dollars.
Seven thousand three hundred and eleven lots were offered and 5,576 sold
for a robust 76% success rate. The
aggregate low estimate for the lots sold was $12,421,861, the aggregate high
estimate $17,917,826. Total sales for
these lots were $27,370,056. The total
of the high estimates for all sold offered, all the sold and unsold lots, was
$23,217,622. Actual sales exceeded the
aggregate high estimate of all lots by more than $4 million.
Eleven of the 23 archived sales
reached or exceeded 100% of their total high estimates:
Christie’s. Collection Victor Hugh on April 4th: 323%
Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain F.
Tajan. Weapons, Historical Souvenirs on
April 2nd: 297%
Sotheby’s. Collection Florence Loeb on April 5th: 193%
Rupert Toovey & Co. Antiquarian and Collectors --- on February 21st: 160%
Alain & Evelyne Morel de
Westgaver. Autographs, Prints, and Books
on February 4th: 159%
Rupert Toovey & Co. Prints on February 22nd: 134%
Artcurial Briest-Le Fur-Poulain F.
Tajan. Comic Strips on March 31st: 125%
Galerie Koller. Old Master Prints on March 30th: 117%
Bloomsbury Auctions. Books, Autographs and Prints on March 27th: 112%
Christie’s. Photographs on April 5th: 108%
Heritage. Music and Entertainment Memorabilia on March
31st: 105%
For the week ahead 18 auctions are
scheduled:
Monday April 9th Bruun Rasmussen. Old and Modern Prints (1215) (72 lots)
Tuesday April 10th Bruun
Rasmussen. Old and Modern Prints (1215)
(72 lots)
Christie’s. Books and Manuscripts (2622) (165 lots)
Wednesday April 11th Ader.
Prints (18979) (43 items)
Cowan’s
Auctions. Continental and Asian
Decorative Art (275) (26 items)
Dominic
Winter. Printed Books and Maps (S322)
(542 lots)
Heritage
Auctions. Historical Manuscripts (6080)
(417 items)
Heritage
Auctions. Rare Books (6085) (755 lots)
Thursday April 12th Ader. Prints
(18988) (209 lots)
Heritage
Auctions. Rare Books (6085) (755 items)
PBA
Galleries. Fine and Rare Books (477)
Swann Galleries. Fine Books (2275) (100 items)
Saturday April 14th Bonhams. Mapping and Discovery of America (19631) (91
items)
Clars
Auction Gallery. Fine Arts Prints and
Photographs (41412)
Profiles
in History. Captain America: The First Avenger (41412) (31 items)
Sunday April 15th Bonhams. R. M. S. Titanic: 100 Years of Fact & Fiction (19599) (72
items)
Clars
Auction Gallery. Fine Arts Prints and
Photographs (41412)
National
Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera –
Sets, Native Am. Artifacts, Nautical,
Bookcases, etc. (04152012)
April is off to a strong
start. This coming week there are 18
sales and the following two weeks 30 and 28 more. Ten years ago such weeks would have capped
an exceptional year. These days we
expect great auctions every month.
Bruce McKInney
The Americana Exchange
Sunday April 8th, 2012