Auction Update Review
Week Six, Fall 2009, Auction Sales Archived through 10.17.09
In what was a busy week of 13 sales only two were archived by Saturday the 17th. Most ended late in the week and will be archived soon.
Anecdotal information suggests gathering strength in the rooms, at shows, through the online listings, and printed and emailed catalogues.
Both sales archived this week were held in London. Bloomsbury, on October 15th, offered 707 lots of Literature, Manuscripts and Modern First Editions and sold 556 of them for a 79% sell-through. Christie's conducted a Travel, Science & Natural History sale the same day and sold 82% of the 185 lots.
Between them $1,198,427 was raised against the high estimate of $977,180.
It's difficult for both consignors and buyers to be in the rooms these days. For consignors, they must commit to sell 3 to 6 months in advance and then close their eyes and ears to the crises-du-jour that are as relentless as they are often over-wrought. Bidders themselves run a gauntlet of hand-wringing and second guessing.
But a pattern is emerging. Important material, offered by dealers, is not coming down while auction realizations are.
Bruce McKinney
AE
10.18.09