Auction Update Review

Continuing Strength in the Rooms


For the week ending Saturday April 26th 27 auctions were archived to the AED; 9 denominated in euros, 3 in British pounds, and 15 in US dollars.  Turnover was $18,574,343 as 9,876 lots were offered and 7,419 sold for a 75% success rate.  The average lot brought $2,503.62.  It was a solid week that begins to suggest we’ll see book, manuscript, map and ephemera auctions in a few years reach a billion dollars in annual sales.  

<--- Christies Prints and Multiples on April 23-24.  Lot 60:  Whistler's "The Steps, Amsterdam" realized $125,000 against an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.

3 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars:

Christies. Prints and Multiples on April 24th: $9,811,375
Bonhams. Prints and Multiples on April 22nd: $2,345,749
Artcurial. Books and Manuscripts on April 16th: $1,337,909

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

RR Auction. Rare Manuscript, Document & Autograph - bidstart 3/21 on April 16th: 368.79%
OSENAT. IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF OVER 800 PRINTS ON THE REVOLUTION, THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE on April 19th: 310.53%
Rupert Toovey and Co. Photographs, Autographs and Ephemera on April 22nd: 183.68%
Rupert Toovey and Co. Prints on April 23rd: 126.49%
Swann Galleries. Modernist Posters on April 24th: 102.59%

<--- Sothebys:  Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History on April 29th.  Lot 10 Redoute.  Les Liliacees.  First ed., 8 vols., Estimated GBP 70,000 to 100,000

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

National Book Auctions. Rare Books and Ephemera on April 6th: 100.00%
Rupert Toovey and Co. Photographs, Autographs and Ephemera on April 22nd: 100.00%
National Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera on February 16th: 99.80%
National Book Auctions. Books and Ephemera - Monument Men, Law, Autographs, etc. on March 9th: 99.60%
Heritage Auctions. Comics -Internet bidstart 4/13 on April 20th: 98.55%
Stair Auctioneers and Appraisers. Prints on April 18th: 96.43%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 4/13 on April 20th: 96.25%
OSENAT. IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF OVER 800 PRINTS ON THE REVOLUTION, THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE on April 19th: 90.70%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 4/17 on April 24th: 89.97%
Bloomsbury Auctions. Maps & Atlases incl. a Private Collection of Cartographic on April 25th: 88.87%
Rupert Toovey and Co. Prints on April 23rd: 88.10%
Heritage Auctions. Lomasney Vintage Movie Art Posters Benefiting Lifebeat Monthly Internet Charity on April 24th: 87.50%
Bruun Rasmussen. Modern and Contemporary Prints on April 22nd: 86.96%
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Rare and Used Books on April 11th: 86.68%
Christies. Prints and Multiples on April 24th: 84.91%
Bonhams. Prints and Multiples on April 22nd: 83.22%
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Master Prints on April 21st: 80.00%

For the week ahead 24 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Apr. 28th
ALDE. Paris. Letters and Original Manuscripts. 399 lots
Neret Minet and Tessier. Paris. Comic Strips. 371 lots
Dorotheum . Vienna. Prints Before 1900. 95 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Old and Modern Prints. 71 lots

Tue. Apr. 29th
Bonhams. Oxford . Photographs. 108 lots
Sothebys. London. Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History. 217 lots
Swann Galleries. New York. Old Master Through Modern Prints. 446 lots
Doyle New York. New York. Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints. 212 lots
Sothebys. London. The Gustav Leonhardt Collection, Property from the Bartolotti House, Amsterdam. 27 lots
Sothebys. Paris. Une famille et l’Empire. 47 lots
Binoche et Giquello. rue La Boetie, Paris. Antiquarian and Modern Books. 326 lots
Cowans Auctions. Cincinnati. Civil War Union Generals' Cartes de Visite. 536 lots

Wed. Apr. 30th
Christies. Paris. Ancient Books, Art Books, and Manuscripts. 226 lots
Grays Auctioneers. Cleveland, . Prints. 71 lots

Thu. May. 1st
Swann Galleries. New York. Early Printed, Medical & Scientific Books. 291 lots
Eldreds. East Dennis,. Asian Art - Books and Prints. 21 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 4/24. 495 lots
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Affordable Prints and Photographs. 127 lots
Sothebys. New York. Prints. 357 lots

Fri. May. 2nd
Kiefer Buch und Kunstauktionen. 75172 Pforzheim. Old and Rare Books and Manuscripts. 5343 lots

Sun. May. 4th
Bonhams. Los Angeles. Entertainment Memorabilia, Including Animation Art. 93 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 4/27.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics -Internet bidstart 4/27.
Freemans. Philadelphia. Modern and Contemporary Works of Art - Prints. 165 lots

The season advances and the market around the world is increasingly unified.  We are living through the most significant changes in the field in anyone's memory.

 

Bruce McKinney

AE   

  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas