Auction Update Review
The Summer Arrives
For the week ending Saturday June 30th, 2012 14 sales were archived; 1 denominated in Swiss Francs, 1 in British
pounds, 3 in euros and 9 in US dollars.
Sales totaled $5,380,268, 58% of the $9,210,202 total of the high
estimates of all lots offered. This relatively low percentage suggests that we should expect the percentage of lots sold to also be low. In fact it was quite high: 79%.
This is explained by the inclusion of one sale from National Book and
two from Heritage. Between them it’s
common to sell more than 95% of their lots.
In this report they offered 1,611 lots and sold 96.7% of them: 1558.
Four sales reached or exceeded 100%
of the total of their high estimates:
Heritage Auctions. Illustration Art on June 27th: 197%
Dorotheum. Books and Decorative Prints on June 20th: 172%
Aguttes. Books, Ancient Documents and Stamps on June
28th: 121%
Bruun Rasmussen. Ancient and Modern Prints on June 25th: 103%
For the week 3 sales reached a
million dollars:
Heritage Auctions. Illustration Art on June 27th: $2,647,780
Robert A Siegel Auctions. Five printed lots among a much larger
philatelic auction: $2,190,750
Bloomsbury Auctions. Modern and Contemporary Prints: $1,445,555
Eight sales sold 80% or more of
their listed lots:
National Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera, Geology, Paleontology,
Signatures on June 28th: 100%
Heritage Auctions. Illustration Art on June 27th: 97.3%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books, online auction ending June 28th: 93.3%
Bruun Rasmussen. Ancient and Modern Prints on June 25th: 89.7%
Dorotheum. Books and Decorative Prints on June 20th: 85.4%
Cowan’s Auctions. American History ending 6/28/12: 83.1%
Bonhams. Books on 6/26/12: 82.3%
Robert A Siegel. Five printed lots among a much larger
philatelic auction: 80%
For the week ahead 10 sales are
scheduled:
Monday July 2nd Alde.
Ancient and Modern Books [18322].
354 lots
Tuesday July 3rd Alde.
Library Jimmy Drulhon [19436].
247 lots
Bonhams. Entertainment Memorabilia [19800]. 368 lots
Wed. July 4th Ader. Ancient and Modern Books [19475]. 168 lots
Neret
– Minet & Tessier. Posters
[13600]. 503 lots
Sotheby’s. Comics [PF1224]. 92 lots
Thursday July 5th Bloomsbury Auctions. Bibliophile [35926] 442 lots
Heritage
Auctions. Rare Books – auction ends
7/5/12. [201227]. 431 lots.
PBA
Galleries. Fine Literature [483]. 427 lots
Sunday July 8th National Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera – Antique, Ethnology,
Adirondacks, etc. [07082012]. 300 lots
Summer is finally settling in. The Euro2012 Soccer Final, completed today, is the surest sign that summer isn't coming, it has arrived and auctions, while continuing, will do so at a slower pace until September.
It has been an extraordinary first half for the book auctions, tough but exhilarating. The rules are changing.
Bruce McKinney
AE
July 1st, 2012