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Auction Update Review

Rare Book Hub: 40 Auctions Archived, another 15 Upcoming this Week

For the week ended Friday, 24 December 2021, 40 auctions were archived to Rare Book Hub’s Transactions+, 1 denominated in Danish krone, 15 in euros, 1 in Hong Kong dollars, 1 in Mexican pesos, and 22 in US dollars.

Turnover was $8,403,465 as 83% of all lots sold. There were 10,107 lots posted and 8,307 changed hands. The average lot sold for $1,012.

This has been an extraordinary year. To friends we lost in 2021 may we keep them in our and your thoughts.

Bruce, Jenny, Mike, Diana, Tom and Edi

3 auctions saw total proceeds reach a million dollars:

Aguttes. 45 • LES COLLECTIONS ARISTOPHIL • FROM CHATEAUBRIAND TO CIORAN, RAYMOND QUENEAU - bidstart 12/7 on December 20th: $1,584,984
Arenberg Auctions. Rare Books, Manuscripts, Atlases and Maritime on December 18th: $1,397,454
Heritage Auctions. Sports Showcase Auction on December 18th: $1,196,607

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

Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/3 on December 15th: 178.56%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/3 on December 12th: 155.39%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/10 on December 16th: 146.29%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 11/26 on December 8th: 146.29%
Arenberg Auctions. Rare Books, Manuscripts, Atlases and Maritime on December 18th: 133.53%
Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 123.85%
Heritage Auctions. The Stewart Weisner MPC Collection Currency Showcase Auction on December 19th: 104.51%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) - bidstart 12/3 on December 13th: 102.08%

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

Heritage Auctions. The Stewart Weisner MPC Collection Currency Showcase Auction on December 19th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Comics, Animation and Art Weekly - bidstart 12/12 on December 20th: 99.71%
New England Auctions. Fine Books and Ephemera on December 21st: 99.48%
Heritage Auctions. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 12/5 on December 19th: 99.31%
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Comic Art & Animation Select Auction - bidstart 12/15 on December 22nd: 99.08%
Schilb Antiquarian. RARE BOOKS With NO RESERVE NO BUYERS PREMIUM! on December 19th: 99.07%
Heritage Auctions. US Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 98.95%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 18th: 97.50%
Heritage Auctions. Sports Showcase Auction on December 18th: 96.98%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters Weekly - bidstart 12/12 on December 19th: 95.95%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/3 on December 12th: 90.48%
Clars Auction Gallery. Fine Art - Prints on December 19th: 90.20%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Video Games and Playing Cards - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 88.89%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/10 on December 16th: 88.75%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 11/26 on December 8th: 88.75%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/3 on December 15th: 88.00%
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Online Only: Timed Eclectic Variety on December 21st: 87.50%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) - bidstart 12/3 on December 13th: 86.11%
Early American. American History on December 18th: 85.04%
Catawiki B. V.. Books Auction: Arabic Books and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/3 on December 13th: 85.00%
Skinner. Country Americana online - bidstart 12/14 on December 23rd: 84.85%
De Baecque and Associes. Mountain #8: Popular Art and Paintings on December 17th: 80.88%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/10 on December 17th: 80.19%

Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.

Aguttes 266 L.A.S. "Paul", 1924-1948, to GALA on December 20th Actual price: USD $190,711.
Aguttes AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT, Les Nourritures terrestres, [1895-1897] on December 20th Actual price: USD $117,361.
Arenberg Auctions Toonneel der Steden van de Vereenighde Nederlanden, met hare beschrijvingen. [Toonneel der Steden van 's Konings Nederlanden, met hare beschrijvingen]. on December 18th Actual price: USD $108,615.
PIASA Dying Slave after Michelangelo (1962) - 1992 on December 21st Actual price: USD $99,671.
Arenberg Auctions Projet pour "Le Séducteur". on December 18th Actual price: USD $98,741.
Aguttes 69 L.A.S. "GS", "George" or "G. Sand", 1834-1862, to Eugène on December 20th Actual price: USD $96,823.
Aguttes Autograph MANUSCRIPT of his Diary, 1892-1917 on December 20th Actual price: USD $88,021.
Heritage Auctions Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages. on December 20th Actual price: USD $78,000.
Aguttes Autograph notebooks, 1973-1980 on December 20th Actual price: USD $66,015.
Aguttes Autograph MANUSCRIT (and partly in corrected typescript) signed "S. de Beauvoir", Les Mandarins, [1949-1953] on December 20th Actual price: USD $63,081.
Heritage Auctions The Incredible Hulk #1 (Marvel, 1962) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages. on December 20th Actual price: USD $60,000.
Aguttes Autograph manuscript, Pyrenees & Corsica (22 August - 1 November 1840) on December 20th Actual price: USD $59,493.
Aguttes MANUSCRIT autograph "Paul Eluard", Les Jeux de la Poupée, 1939 on December 20th Actual price: USD $58,680.
Heritage Auctions 2009 Topps Chrome Stephen Curry Rookie #101 PSA Gem Mint 10. on December 18th Actual price: USD $55,200.
Aguttes autograph manuscript and corrected proof for Du côté de chez Swann, [1913] on December 20th Actual price: USD $55,031.
Arenberg Auctions Liber chronicarum. on December 18th Actual price: USD $53,602.
Aguttes CORRESPONDENCE addressed to Raymond Queneau, 1920-1976 on December 20th Actual price: USD $53,518.
Arenberg Auctions Histoire naturelle des oiseaux. on December 18th Actual price: USD $52,192.
Aguttes Lélia (Paris, Henri Dupuy, imprimeur-éditeur, L. Tenré, libraire, 1833), 2 volumes bound in one in-8 (21,5x13,3 cm), half lavaliered morocco with corners, gilt binding, spine with boxes framed with triple gilt binding and decorated with fl eurons, gilt he on December 20th Actual price: USD $49,911.
Tessier & Sarrou and Associates Paire de globes terrestre et célesteTable équatoriale gravée des signes du zodiac et reposant sur 3 pieds moulurés en acajou maintenus par une boussole à l'entretoise. on December 21st Actual price: USD $43,296.
Soler Y Llach MAURICIO a BORDEAUX (Francia). 1 p. naranja (2) y 2 p. azul. on December 21st Actual price: USD $42,807.
Arenberg Auctions "Centaure et centauresse". on December 18th Actual price: USD $42,318.
PIASA Triptych - August 1972 on December 21st Actual price: USD $40,044.
PIASA Triptych - 1983 on December 21st Actual price: USD $36,964.
Arenberg Auctions Collection of various texts on monastic life, for the use of novices. on December 18th Actual price: USD $36,675.

40 total sales reported this week:

Soler Y Llach. Stamps and Covers of the World on December 21st: 47.99%
Skinner. Country Americana online - bidstart 12/14 on December 23rd: 84.85%
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Comic Art & Animation Select Auction - bidstart 12/15 on December 22nd: 99.08%
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Online Only: Timed Eclectic Variety on December 21st: 87.50%
Tessier & Sarrou and Associates. Marine - Voyage on December 21st: 74.07%
Sothebys. Contemporary Showcase: Anime Go - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 51.09%
PIASA. Prints, multiples and illustrated books on December 21st: 53.53%
New England Auctions. Fine Books and Ephemera on December 21st: 99.48%
Eaton Hudson. Closed College Rare Book Collection (Part 1) on December 21st: 41.06%
Bruun Rasmussen. Modern Art and Design - Prints on December 21st: 73.45%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Video Games and Playing Cards - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 88.89%
Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. US Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/14 on December 21st: 98.95%
Moreshet Auctions. The “Sale of the Century” from Moreshet: The collective dream of collectors, archivists, and documen on December 20th: 53.33%
Garth's Auctioneers and Appraisers. Eclectic, Online - bidstart 12/10 on December 20th: 68.67%
Aguttes. 45 • LES COLLECTIONS ARISTOPHIL • FROM CHATEAUBRIAND TO CIORAN, RAYMOND QUENEAU - bidstart 12/7 on December 20th: 60.47%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/10 on December 17th: 80.19%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/10 on December 16th: 88.75%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/3 on December 15th: 88.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1600) - bidstart 12/3 on December 14th: 77.78%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) - bidstart 12/3 on December 13th: 86.11%
Catawiki B. V.. Books Auction: Arabic Books and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/3 on December 13th: 85.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 11/26 on December 8th: 88.75%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/3 on December 12th: 90.48%
Heritage Auctions. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 12/5 on December 19th: 99.31%
Heritage Auctions. Comics, Animation and Art Weekly - bidstart 12/12 on December 20th: 99.71%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters Weekly - bidstart 12/12 on December 19th: 95.95%
Schilb Antiquarian. RARE BOOKS With NO RESERVE NO BUYERS PREMIUM! on December 19th: 99.07%
Holabird Kagin Americana. December Dreams Premier Auction: Western Americana, Mining, & Numismatics on December 19th: 68.14%
Clars Auction Gallery. Fine Art - Prints on December 19th: 90.20%
Morton Subastas. Opportunites - Live on December 18th: 61.96%
Michaans Auctions. Gallery Auction on December 18th: 67.86%
Holabird Kagin Americana. December Dreams Premier Auction: Western Americana, Mining, & Numismatics on December 18th: 71.64%
Early American. American History on December 18th: 85.04%
De Baecque and Associes. Mountain #8: Popular Art and Paintings on December 17th: 80.88%
Arenberg Auctions. Rare Books, Manuscripts, Atlases and Maritime on December 18th: 78.31%
Ader. Judaica on December 16th: 62.50%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 18th: 97.50%
Heritage Auctions. The Stewart Weisner MPC Collection Currency Showcase Auction on December 19th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Sports Showcase Auction on December 18th: 96.98%

For the week ahead 15 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Dec. 27th
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) - bidstart 12/17. 93 lots

Tue. Dec. 28th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. US Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/21. 546 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. World Currency Weekly - bidstart 12/21. 173 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Tuesday Video Games and Playing Cards - bidstart 12/21. 92 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1600) - bidstart 12/17. 30 lots

Wed. Dec. 29th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Wednesday Comic Art & Animation Select Auction - bidstart 12/22. 292 lots
Withington Auctions, Inc.. Goffstown. Outstanding Country Estate Auction. 13 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/17. 170 lots

Thu. Dec. 30th
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Cartography - bidstart 12/24.

Fri. Dec. 31st
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1800) - bidstart 12/24.

Sat. Jan. 1st
Bruneau & Co. . Cranston. New Year's Day Premier Comics Auction.

Sun. Jan. 2nd
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics, Animation and Art Weekly - bidstart 12/26.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters Weekly - bidstart 12/26.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 12/19. 462 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Autographs and Manuscripts - bidstart 12/24.

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

Heritage Auctions
Rare Books Signature Auction
December 15, 2025

Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.

Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.

Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.

Heritage, Dec. 15: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.

Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.

Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s
Book Week
December 9-17, 2025

Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.

Sotheby’s
Book Week
December 9-17, 2025

Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.

Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.