For the week ending Saturday December 7th 23 sales were archived to the AED; 10 in US dollars, 10 in euros and 3 in British pounds.  Turnover was $20,504,727 as 6,829 lots were offered and 4,790 lots sold for a 70% success rate.    

2 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars: 

Sothebys. Fine Books and Manuscripts, including Americana on December 5th: $3,774,568
Pierre Berge and Associes. FIRE & FLAMES - LIBRARY DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN - I. THIEVES OF FIRE on November 28th: $1,911,750

2 auctions saw total sales exceed 100% of the high estimates of all lots offered in the sale:

Dorotheum . Autographs on December 4th: 156.67%
Sothebys. Western Manuscripts and Miniatures on December 3rd: 121.70%


5 sales saw at least 80% of their lots sell:

Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 11/24 on December 1st: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Posters - internet bidstart 11/24 on December 1st: 92.17%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 11/28 on December 5th: 87.23%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 11/21 on November 28th: 84.62%
Swann Galleries. Maps and Atlases, Natural History and Historical Prints and Ephemera on December 5th: 83.78%

For the week ahead 24 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Dec. 9th
ALDE. Paris. Letters and Manuscripts, Autographs. 314 lots
Bonhams. Oxford . Automobilia. 56 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Old Master Prints. 6 lots

Tue. Dec. 10th
Bonhams. New York. Judaica. 121 lots
Aguttes. Neuilly-sur-Seine . Books, Posters and Ancient Paper. 347 lots
ALDE. Paris. Ancient Books from the XIXth Century. 375 lots
Minerva Auctions Roma. Roma. Books, Autographs, Prints. 733 lots
Sothebys. London. English Literature, History, Children's Books and Illustrations. 207 lots
Sothebys. London. Library of an English Bibliophile - Part III. 184 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Modern and Contemporary Prints. 67 lots

Wed. Dec. 11th
RR Auction. Amherst. Rare Manuscript, Document & Autograph - bidstart 11/14. 1576 lots
Bonhams. New York. Fine Books and Manuscripts. 473 lots
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Printed Books, Maps and Documents. 609 lots
Minerva Auctions Roma. Roma. Photographs. 121 lots
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Pictures and Books. 295 lots

Thu. Dec. 12th
De Baecque and Associes. Lyon. Books, Antiquarian and Modern, Autographs and Documents. 340 lots
Gonnelli Casa DAste. Firenze. Prints. 231 lots
Swann Galleries. New York. Classic Photographs and Photobooks. 272 lots
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Bibliophile. 610 lots
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Children's and Illustrated Books. 359 lots
Dorotheum . Vienna. Books and Decorative Prints. 376 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/5. 311 lots

Fri. Dec. 13th
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Lancaster. Rare and Used Books. 453 lots

Sat. Dec. 14th
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Berlin-Schoneberg. Rare Books, Photographs, Graphics. 780 lots

Even as the fall season concludes the pace of sales into the close is robust.  It will soon be quiet for a month or so but for now the auctions are many and the choices plentiful.

Bruce McKinney

AE