Sydney Rare Book Auctions: Christmas 2025! - Decorative Arts And Design, Books, Fine Bindings And Geology
Auction Reports
| Auction Name | Christmas 2025! - Decorative Arts And Design, Books, Fine Bindings And Geology | Total Sales (AUD) | 66,236.85 |
| Auction Date | December 14, 2025 - December 14, 2025 | Low Estimate of Lots Sold (AUD) | 66,860.00 |
| Sale Number | #A168 | High Estimate of Lots Sold (AUD) | 93,370.00 |
| Total Lots | 410 | ||
| Sold Lots | 225.0 | Low Estimate of All Lots (AUD) | 185,898.00 |
| % of Lots Sold | 54.88% | High Estimate of All Lots (AUD) | 255,080.00 |
| Unsold Lots | 185 | Total Sales as a % of High Est. | 25.97% |
Top twenty-five by sale price
| Lot Number | Author Name | Book Title | Year Published | Estimate | Actual Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | George Barbier et Jeans-Louis Vaudoyer | Album Dedie a Tamar Karsavina |
1914 | AUD 4,000.00 - 4,500.00 | AUD 6,350.00 |
| 389 | Richard Owen | Memoirs on the extinct wingless birds of New Zealand : with an appendix on those of England, Australia, Newfoundland, Mauritius, and Rodriguez |
1879 | AUD 1,200.00 - 1,800.00 | AUD 3,302.00 |
| 247 | JK Rowling | Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone |
1997 | AUD 4,000.00 - 5,000.00 | AUD 2,540.00 |
| 8 | Romeo et Juliette |
1926 | AUD 1,300.00 - 1,500.00 | AUD 2,286.00 | |
| 390 | Edited by G. J. Symons | The Eruption of Krakatoa, and Subsequent Phenomena |
1888 | AUD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 | AUD 1,905.00 |
| 60 | BROINOWSKI, Gracius | The Birds of Australia |
1887-1891 | AUD 250.00 - 300.00 | AUD 1,778.00 |
| 172 | Charles Darwin | The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom |
1876 | AUD 2,000.00 - 2,500.00 | AUD 1,270.00 |
| 449 | Walter E. Roth | Ethnological Studies among the North-West-Central Queensland Abordigines |
1897 | AUD 200.00 - 300.00 | AUD 1,270.00 |
| 111 | A bound collection of academic scientific papers |
AUD 500.00 - 600.00 | AUD 1,143.00 | ||
| 39 | George Bentham | Flora Hongkongensis: A Description of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Island of Hongkong |
1861 | AUD 600.00 - 700.00 | AUD 1,016.00 |
| 3 | Choix des plus celebres maisons de plaisance de Rome et de ses environs, mesurees et dessinees par Charles Percier et P.F.L. Fontaine |
1809 | AUD 1,000.00 - 1,200.00 | AUD 952.50 | |
| 15 | Sketches in and about the Brisbane High School for Girls |
1915 | AUD 800.00 - 1,200.00 | AUD 889.00 | |
| 170 | Charles Darwin | The Power of Movement in Plants |
1882 | AUD 800.00 - 1,000.00 | AUD 762.00 |
| 190 | Charles Darwin | The Expression Of The Emotions In Man And Animals |
1872 | AUD 1,200.00 - 1,500.00 | AUD 762.00 |
| 257 | Charles Darwin | The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species |
1880 | AUD 1,200.00 - 1,500.00 | AUD 762.00 |
| 22 | Barnett Canto VIII 1964 |
AUD 200.00 - 400.00 | AUD 698.50 | ||
| 31 | Marc Chagall |
AUD 300.00 - 500.00 | AUD 698.50 | ||
| 13 | H W Newman May | Extracts & Reports on the Lucknow, or Wentworth Gold-field, Near Orange, New South Wales |
1888 | AUD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 | AUD 635.00 |
| 464 | Robert Logan Jack | Seven Queensland Reports |
1896s -1898s | AUD 1,000.00 - 2,000.00 | AUD 635.00 |
| 438 | Two shelves of 33 literature books |
AUD 300.00 - 400.00 | AUD 539.75 | ||
| 89 | Edmund Bartell | Hints for Picturesque Improvements in Ornamented Cottages, and their Scenery: Including Some Observations on the Labourer and His Cottage in Three Essays |
1804 | AUD 700.00 - 800.00 | AUD 508.00 |
| 200 | Robt. M. Johnston | Systematic Account of the Geology of Tasmania |
1888 | AUD 400.00 - 500.00 | AUD 508.00 |
| 427 | Degenerate Art Germany 1937 Catalogue |
1937 | AUD 400.00 - 500.00 | AUD 508.00 | |
| 219 | Anthony Bradley | The Art of Justin O'Brien |
AUD 500.00 - 600.00 | AUD 476.25 | |
| 233 | Four shelves of Fine Binding books |
AUD 400.00 - 500.00 | AUD 476.25 |
![<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 72. Edwards (George). <i>A Natural History of Uncommon Birds…</i> [and] <i>Gleanings of Natural History,</i> 7 volumes, 1st edition, 1743-64. £7,000-10,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/7f9e9df2-b83a-40aa-a1b7-a535a02705d5.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 72. Edwards (George). <i>A Natural History of Uncommon Birds…</i> [and] <i>Gleanings of Natural History,</i> 7 volumes, 1st edition, 1743-64. £7,000-10,000")
![<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 236. <i>A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew…,</i> By B. E. Gent., 1st edition, [1699]. £3,000-4,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/1832c377-f148-4e66-ba22-33bef01d81a7.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 236. <i>A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew…,</i> By B. E. Gent., 1st edition, [1699]. £3,000-4,000")
![<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 280. Elgar (Edward). <i>Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,</i> [1910], signed presentation copy. £500-800](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/df958814-0689-4876-8b73-cfe5c0c6ad24.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Jan. 28:</b> Lot 280. Elgar (Edward). <i>Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,</i> [1910], signed presentation copy. £500-800")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Plato. [<i>Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera</i>], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/df7dd9ac-f0d0-4cb3-a44d-2731758530e4.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Plato. [<i>Apanta ta tou Platonos. Omnia Platonis opera</i>], 2 parts in 2 vol., editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, Venice, House of Aldus, 1513. £8,000-12,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/c40bad29-8cb5-4347-a0fd-5361d39e84a5.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Book of Hours, Use of Rome, In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), c.1460]. £6,000-8,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Powell (Anthony). [<i>A Dance to the Music of Time</i>], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/b7fdee12-4803-4d32-9330-a5729091cb92.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Powell (Anthony). [<i>A Dance to the Music of Time</i>], 12 vol., first editions, each with a signed presentation inscription from the author to Osbert Lancaster, 1951-75. £6,000-8,000")
![<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/a06cc0dd-7619-45e9-b155-5ad75ed7b2e5.png "<b>Forum, Jan. 29:</b> Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., [1813-50]. £15,000-20,000")