Auction Update Review

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Sixteen Auctions Archived, 9 Sales Upcoming

For the week ended Saturday, December 24th, 2016, 16 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Hub Transaction Database; 5 denominated in euros, 2 in British pounds, and 9 in US dollars.  Turnover was a svelte $3,089,517 as 4,659 lots were offered and 3,690 sold for a 79% success rate.  The high season now passes before our eyes and a few weeks of relative quiet descend upon us.

Now, as the market quiets for a well-deserved respite we extend our best wishes for a safe and successful holiday season to all in the field.

 

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

Skinner. Judaica Online - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 15th: 137.85% 
Robert Siegel Galleries. United States and Confederate States Postal History on December 15th: 125.20% 


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

Forum Auctions in Italy. Antiquarian and Rare Books on December 14th: 100.00% 
Forum Auctions. The Library of the late David Harrison: 17th-19th Century Literature & the Arts on December 8th: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 12/11 on December 18th: 99.24% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 12/11 on December 18th: 97.90% 
Robert Siegel Galleries. United States and Confederate States Postal History on December 15th: 97.02% 
Skinner. Judaica Online - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 15th: 82.50% 
RR Auction. Science and Technology - Internet bidstart 12/8 on December 15th: 82.28% 

 

Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Pierre Berge and Associes Les Fleurs du Mal. Seconde édition augmentée de trente-cinq poëmes nouveaux et ornée d'un portrait de l'auteur dessiné et gravé par Bracquemond. on December 16th Actual price: USD $77,816.
  2. Forum Auctions Reflections on a Conversation (Corlett 240) on December 5th Actual price: USD $77,500.
  3. Forum Auctions Untitled (Based on Blaze) (Schubert 4) on December 5th Actual price: USD $66,650.
  4. Pierre Berge and Associes Celestine en laquelle est traicte des deceptions des serviteurs envers leurs maistres & des macquerelles envers les amoureux tra[n]slate dytalie[n] en fra[n]cois. on December 16th Actual price: USD $61,256.
  5. Pierre Berge and Associes Recueil des plus illustres proverbes, divises en trois livres, le premier contient les proverbes moraux, le second les proverbes joyeux et plaisans, le troisiesme represente la vie des gueux en proverbes mis en lumiere [...]. on December 16th Actual price: USD $39,100.
  6. Forum Auctions Stop and Search on December 5th Actual price: USD $34,100.
  7. Pierre Berge and Associes Fables choisies, mises en vers. on December 16th Actual price: USD $31,280.
  8. Forum Auctions Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance (Schubert 22, 23, 24) on December 5th Actual price: USD $29,450.
  9. Pierre Berge and Associes Mémoires de Saturnin, écrits par lui-même, Nouvelle édition, corrigée & augmentée, avec figures. on December 16th Actual price: USD $28,673.
  10. Forum Auctions Toucans (Coppel DB 37) on December 5th Actual price: USD $27,900.
  11. Pierre Berge and Associes Les Fleurs du Mal. on December 16th Actual price: USD $26,067.
  12. RR Auction Marilyn Monroe Signed Photograph on December 15th Actual price: USD $24,959.
  13. Forum Auctions Donuts on December 5th Actual price: USD $22,475.
  14. Forum Auctions Mao (Corlett 104) on December 5th Actual price: USD $20,925.
  15. Pierre Berge and Associes Stultifera navis. on December 16th Actual price: USD $19,550.
  16. Pierre Berge and Associes Les Ventiquattr'Hore dell'humana felicità. on December 16th Actual price: USD $18,084.
  17. RR Auction Greta Garbo Oversized Signed Photograph on December 15th Actual price: USD $17,908.
  18. Robert Siegel Galleries 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26). on December 15th Actual price: USD $17,825.
  19. Pierre Berge and Associes Les Liaisons dangereuses, ou Lettres recueillies dans une Société, & publiées pour l'instruction de quelques autres. on December 16th Actual price: USD $15,640.
  20. Pierre Berge and Associes Nova alphati [sic] effictio historiis ad singulas literas correspondentibus. [...] Nejw kunstliches Alphabet, gezirt mit schonen Figurn deren jede sich auff seinen Buschstaben accomodirt. on December 16th Actual price: USD $15,640.
  21. Forum Auctions Morons on December 5th Actual price: USD $15,500.
  22. Robert Siegel Galleries (Newburyport Mass. to Philadelphia via Cambridge and New York City, 1775) on December 15th Actual price: USD $14,950.
  23. Forum Auctions Le Juif priant; juif a la Thora, La Maison, L'Homme au sac; Chevre et violin; L'Ecuyere et le Coq (Kornfeld 31 III b, 35c, 32 IV, 33 II b, 34 II b and 84 III b) on December 5th Actual price: USD $14,415.
  24. Robert Siegel Galleries 3c Rose (65). on December 15th Actual price: USD $14,375.
  25. Pierre Berge and Associes Féminies. Huit chapitres inédits dévoués à la femme, à l'amour, à la beauté par Gyp, Abel Hermant, Henri Lavedan, Marcel Schwob & Octave Uzanne. on December 16th Actual price: USD $14,336.



A total of 16 sales were reported this week:

RR Auction. Science and Technology - Internet bidstart 12/8 on December 15th: 82.28%
Robert Siegel Galleries. United States and Confederate States Postal History on December 15th: 97.02%
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on December 20th: 73.49%
De Baecque and Associes. Post Cards on December 16th: 44.10%
Pierre Berge and Associes. Icons and Photographs from the 1960s-2000s on December 12th: 29.31%
Holabird Kagin Americana. Western Americana - Day 4 on December 12th: 59.02%
Holabird Kagin Americana. Western Americana - Day 2 on December 10th: 63.13%
Holabird Kagin Americana. Western Americana - Day 1 on December 9th: 79.85%
Skinner. Judaica Online - Internet bidstart 12/7 on December 15th: 82.50%
Pierre Berge and Associes. Library of an Amateur on December 16th: 70.50%
Forum Auctions in Italy. Antiquarian and Rare Books on December 14th: 100.00%
Forum Auctions. The Library of the late David Harrison: 17th-19th Century Literature & the Arts on December 8th: 100.00%
Forum Auctions. Editions and Works on Paper on December 5th: 56.43%
PBA Galleries. Americana - Travel - Cartography on December 15th: 71.91%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 12/11 on December 18th: 97.90%
Heritage Auctions. Comics - Internet bidstart 12/11 on December 18th: 99.24%


For the week ahead 9 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Dec. 26th
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 96 lots

Wed. Dec. 28th
Dirk Soulis Auctions. Lee's Summit . An Orderly Hoard of Pop Culture and Americana.

Thu. Dec. 29th
Auctionata. Berlin. From Joseph Beuys to Henry Moore: Prints and Editions. 135 lots
Auctionata. Berlin. Abstractionism: Post War Art - Prints. 12 lots
Auctionata. Berlin. Art of Nature: Animals, Flowers and Still Life from four Centuries. 20 lots
Auctionata. Berlin. Naked: Nudes from the 20th and 21st Centuries. 31 lots

Fri. Dec. 30th
Tooveys. West Sussex. Prints. 25 lots

Sun. Jan. 1st
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Comics - bidstart 12/26.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Movie Posters - bidstart 12/26.

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

  • Sotheby’s
    Nelson, His Life and His Navy:
    The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts
    November 18, 2026
    Sotheby’s
    Nelson, His Life and His Navy:
    The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts
    November 18, 2026
    Sotheby’s
    Nelson, His Life and His Navy:
    The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts
    November 18, 2026
  • Forum
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    Thursday 19th November
    Forum, Nov. 19: The ‘Saxe-Meiningen Psalter’, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, [northern France or adjacent southern Netherlands, second half of the thirteenth century]. £30,000 - £50,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Crescenzi (Bartolomeo). Nautica mediterranea, 2 parts in 1, second edition, with rare engraved folding map, Rome, Bartolomeo Bonfadino, 1607. £15,000 - £20,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Aristotle. [The Works], 10 vol.,, translated by Thomas Taylor, Printed for the Translator... by Robert Wilks, 1807-12. £6,000-8,000
    Forum
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    Thursday 19th November
    Forum, Nov. 19: Turing (Alan).- Alan Turing's Slide Rule, engraved initials "A.M.T. Noli Hoc Furari", alongside other ephemera, housed in early 20th-century letter box, [mid.1920s-40s]. £6,000-8,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Vitruvius Pollio (Marcus). I Dieci Libri dell'Architettura, translated by Daniele Barbaro, Venice, Francesco Marcolini, 1556. £7,000-10,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Rowling (J.K.) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, first edition, hardback issue, first printing, Bloomsbury, 1997. £50,000-70,000
    Forum
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    Thursday 19th November
    Forum, Nov. 19: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Lord of the Rings, later impressions, each vol. signed by the author, London, George Allen & Unwin, 1957-58. £15,000-20,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Gould (John). The Birds of Great Britain, 5 vol., first edition, [1862]-73; plus a presentation copy of Gould's Introduction to the Birds of Great Britain (6). £35,000-45,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Galilei (Galileo). Istoria e Dimostrazioni intorno alle Macchie Solari e loro accidenti, comprese in tre lettere scritte all’illustrissimo signor Marco Velseri Linceo, first edition, Rome, 1613. £15,000-20,000
    Forum
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    Thursday 19th November
    Forum, Nov. 19: Gersdorff (Hans von). Feldtbuch der Wund-Arzney, enlarged edition, Strassburg, Hans Schotten, 1540. £20,000-30,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Kitchin (Thomas). A New Universal Atlas, first edition with maps in full original hand-colouring, Printed and Published by Robert Laurie and James Whittle, 1796. £8,000-12,000
    Forum, Nov. 19: Cassas (Louis François). Voyage Pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phenicie, de la Palestine, et de la Basse Egypte, 2 vol., first edition, [Paris], 1799. £10,000-15,000
  • Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 41. Rare First State of the First Printed Map Devoted to the Arctic (1595) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 63. The Largest of the Strada "Leo Belgicus" Editions (1632) Est. $3,250 - $4,000
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 71. Blaeu's Stunning Carte-a-Figures Map of the Americas (1640) Est. $4,000 - $4,750
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 8. Mariette's Rare and Decorative Map of the World Based on the Work of Hondius (1642) Est. $4,750 - $6,000
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 172. 1775 Edition of the Landmark Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia and Maryland (1775) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 46. Doppelmayr's Fine Celestial Chart (1742) Est. $800 - $950
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 212. First Edition Ski Country Map by Pioneer Hal Shelton (1965) Est. $500 - $700
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 732. Ruscelli's Complete Atlas with 69 Maps and Updated Maps of the Continents (1599) Est. $8,000 - $9,500
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 329. Ortelius' Map of Iceland Surrounded by Sea Monsters (1585) Est. $11,000 - $13,000
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 600. Heinrich Bunting's Rare Map of Asia in the Form of a Pegasus (1581) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
    Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 716. Bible Leaf with Hand-Colored Image of the Adoration of the Magi (1490) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
  • Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 23
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: L. Feininger, Collection of autograph letters to Alois J. Schardt, 1920-1955. Est: € 150,000-250,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: Flemish book of hours, Ghent-Bruges School around 1480-1500. Est: € 40,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: F. de Wit, Atlas maior, um 1700. Est: € 50,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 23
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: A. Stieglitz, Camera Work, 48 volumes, 1903-1914. Est: € 60,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. Merian & M. Zeiller, Sämtliche Topographien, 21 volumes, 1642-1736. Est: € 50,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: R. Indiana and R. Creely, Numbers, 1968. Est: € 4,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 23
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: Salerno Breviarium, Latin manuscript on vellum, North Italy around 1470-1476. Est: € 40,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. S. Merian, Surinaamsche (&) europische Insecten, 1730. Est: € 30,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. Beckmann, Jahrmarkt, Portfolio of 10 signed etchings, 1922. Est: € 25,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction November 23
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: Justinianus, Infortiatum, 1475. Est: € 10,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: B. Besler, Hortus Eystettensis, um 1750. Est: € 28,000
    Ketterer, Nov. 23: J. Gris and P. Reverdy, Au soleil du plafond, 1955. Est: € 3,000
  • Heritage, Nov. 18: Orson Welles. Signed Third Revised Final Draft for Citizen Kane (RKO, 1941). July 16, 1940.
    Heritage, Nov. 18: Bob Dylan. Autograph manuscript working lyrics to "Man on the Street."
    Heritage, Nov. 18: Ernest Hemingway. Death in the Afternoon. Inscribed by the author to the daughter of the Spanish Ambassador.
    Heritage, Nov. 18: Jack London. The Call of the Wild. Inscribed by the author.
    Heritage, Nov. 18: John Steinbeck. East of Eden. Inscribed by 27 members of the movie cast and crew, including James Dean and Elia Kazan.