The 2014 auction season has come to a conclusion, but it went out with a bang. Sales archived during the past week total just a hair under $29 million. A total of 29 auctions were archived for the week ending December 20, 14 in U.S. dollars, 12 in euros, and 3 in British pounds. Total proceeeds were 28,938,424. There were 9,106 lots offered, while 6,645 sold for a sales rate of 73%. It was an excellent conclusion to what has been a very good season and year.

3 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars:

Sothebys. 175 Masterworks To Celebrate 175 Years Of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundat on December 12th: $21,325,063
Sothebys. Books and Manuscripts on December 18th: $1,423,924
Swann Galleries. Vernacular Imagery and Photobooks on December 12th: $1,057,581

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

Sothebys. Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Sir Winston Churchill on December 17th: 412.74%
Dorotheum . Autographs on December 16th: 222.10%
OSENAT. Books on December 12th: 222.08%
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Master Prints on December 15th: 178.74%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part I on December 12th: 152.77%
Ader. Prints on December 12th: 133.65%
Robert Siegel Galleries. The George J. Kramer Collection: U.S. Domestic Mails 1776-1869 on December 15th: 128.97%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part II on December 13th: 123.95%
Ader. Prints on December 11th: 121.13%
Sothebys. 175 Masterworks To Celebrate 175 Years Of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundat on December 12th: 105.64%


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

Sothebys. Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Sir Winston Churchill on December 17th: 100.00%
Aspire Auctions. Prints - Internet bidstart 12/5 on December 12th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 14th: 98.39%
OSENAT. Books on December 12th: 97.19%
Robert Siegel Galleries. The George J. Kramer Collection: U.S. Domestic Mails 1776-1869 on December 15th: 96.38%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 14th: 92.26%
Dorotheum . Autographs on December 16th: 91.40%
Sothebys. 175 Masterworks To Celebrate 175 Years Of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundat on December 12th: 90.29%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/4 on December 11th: 89.01%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part I on December 12th: 87.74%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/14 on December 18th: 82.94%
Clars Auction Gallery. Books and Prints on December 13th: 82.44%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part II on December 13th: 82.14%
Clars Auction Gallery. Prints on December 14th: 80.00%


29 total sales reported this week:

Minerva Auctions Roma. Books, Autographs and Prints on December 10th: 55.16%
PBA Galleries. Fine & Rare Books – With Books Illustrated with Original Photographs on December 18th: 64.74%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/14 on December 18th: 82.94%
Sothebys. Books and Manuscripts on December 18th: 73.33%
Bloomsbury Auctions. General Books - Online timed Sale on December 18th: 12.00%
Bloomsbury Auctions. Antiquarian Books on December 17th: 64.00%
Vermot de Pas. Books on December 12th: 21.22%
OSENAT. Books on December 12th: 97.19%
Dorotheum . Autographs on December 16th: 91.40%
Swann Galleries. Travel Posters from the Julius Paul Collection & A California Collection of Literary Posters on December 17th: 60.81%
Robert Siegel Galleries. The George J. Kramer Collection: U.S. Domestic Mails 1776-1869 on December 15th: 96.38%
Sothebys. Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Sir Winston Churchill on December 17th: 100.00%
Bonhams. The Art of Fashion Photography on December 17th: 32.35%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part II on December 13th: 82.14%
Ferraton. Books and Prints, Part I on December 12th: 87.74%
Bruun Rasmussen. Modern and Contemporary Prints on December 16th: 73.27%
Bruun Rasmussen. Old Master Prints on December 15th: 75.00%
Aspire Auctions. Prints - Internet bidstart 12/5 on December 12th: 100.00%
Hauswedell and Nolte. Who's Afraid of the Moon on December 12th: 26.32%
Swann Galleries. Vernacular Imagery and Photobooks on December 12th: 62.59%
Ader. Prints on December 12th: 77.97%
Ader. Prints on December 11th: 76.39%
Clars Auction Gallery. Prints on December 14th: 80.00%
Clars Auction Gallery. Books and Prints on December 13th: 82.44%
Sothebys. 175 Masterworks To Celebrate 175 Years Of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundat on December 12th: 90.29%
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 14th: 98.39%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/4 on December 11th: 89.01%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 14th: 92.26%
AntiquarianAuctions.com. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 11/20 on November 27th: 41.19%

For the week ahead only 3 sales are scheduled:

Thu. Dec. 25th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 12/18. 287 lots

Sun. Dec. 28th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 12/21.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics - Internet bidstart 12/21.

The next two weeks will be quiet, but not silent as a handful of auctions are still on tap. Then, the momentum will gradually begin to build again as we work through winter and on to a busy spring. It slows, but never stops as the auction season has become a 52-week affair.

Best wishes for the holidays from all of us at AE.

Mike Stillman