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Auction Update Review

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Thirty-four Auctions Archived, 24 Sales Upcoming this Week

For the week ended Saturday, June 17, 2017, 34 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Hub Transaction Database; 13 denominated in euros, 3 in British pounds, and 18 in US dollars.  Turnover was $17,505,351 as 8,573 lots were offered and 5,792 sold for a 68% success rate.  The average lot brought $3,022.

 

5 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars: 

Christies. Books and Manuscripts on June 15th: $6,854,875 
Sothebys. Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana on June 13th: $1,724,188 
Christies. Musical Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Opera Guild Collection on June 15th: $1,359,125 
Christies. Ornithology Library of Gerald Dorros on June 15th: $1,332,625 
Bonhams. Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Photographs on June 14th: $1,208,841 

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

Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on June 13th: 181.77% 
Bonhams. Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Photographs on June 14th: 141.42% 
Potter and Potter Auctions. The Grossman/Nicholson Collection II on June 10th: 114.41% 
Keys Fine Arts Auctioneers. Three Day Books and Ephemera Sale on June 9th: 110.08% 
Cowans Auctions. American History on June 9th: 102.46% 


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

Forum Auctions in Italy. Antiquarian and Rare Books on June 8th: 100.00% 
National Book Auctions. Books, Maps, Ephemera, Photography, Prints, Natural History, Emblems, Audubon, Homann, Roscoe, etc. on June 10th: 100.00% 
National Book Auctions. West, Everest, Exploration, 16th Century on June 3rd: 100.00% 
Potomack Company. Live Auction - Books, Prints on June 10th: 100.00% 
Potter and Potter Auctions. The Grossman/Nicholson Collection II on June 10th: 93.38% 
Winter Associates. Art - Prints on June 5th: 91.67% 
Cowans Auctions. American History on June 9th: 89.73% 
Christies. Musical Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Opera Guild Collection on June 15th: 88.46% 
Bonhams. Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Photographs on June 14th: 86.02% 
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on June 13th: 84.62% 
Il Ponte. Interior Decorations - Day 7 on June 8th: 82.76% 
Il Ponte. Interior Decoration - Day 5 - Books on June 6th: 80.95% 
 
Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Christies Los Caprichos. on June 15th Actual price: USD $607,500.
  2. Christies A FOUR-ROTOR ("M4") ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINE. Olympia Büromaschinenwerke AG in Erfurt, for Heimsoeth & Rinke, 1944. on June 15th Actual price: USD $547,500.
  3. Christies Autograph music manuscript signed (‘Frz Schubert’) for the Piano Sonata in A flat major, D.557, May 1817. on June 15th Actual price: USD $475,500.
  4. Sothebys VOYAGE DANS L'INTÉRIEUR DE L'AMÉRIQUE DU NORD EXECUTÉ PENDANT LES ANNÉES 1832, 1833 ET 1834. on June 13th Actual price: USD $420,500.
  5. Christies A WORKING APPLE-1 PERSONAL COMPUTER. on June 15th Actual price: USD $355,500.
  6. Christies De humani corporis fabrica libri septem. on June 15th Actual price: USD $343,500.
  7. Christies La Tauromaquia Treinta y tres Estampas que representan diferentes suertes y actitudes del arte de lidiar los Toros. on June 15th Actual price: USD $343,500.
  8. Bonhams The Order of Surrender, typed and signed ("P. H. Pearse") and dated ("29th April 1916/ 3.45 p.m.") 'THE MEMBERS OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT...HAVE AGREED TO AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER': PATRICK PEARSE SETS IN HAND HIS OWN MARTYRDOM, bringing with it the on June 14th Actual price: USD $336,640.
  9. Christies The Great West Illustrated in a series of Photographic Views across the Continent; taken along the Line of the Union Pacific Railroad. on June 15th Actual price: USD $319,500.
  10. Christies Signature ("Button Gwinnett"), n.p., n.d. on June 15th Actual price: USD $319,500.
  11. Christies Autograph letter Signed ('W: A: Mozart') to his father [Leopold: 'Mon trés chere Pére'], Vienna, 3 March 1784. on June 15th Actual price: USD $319,500.
  12. Christies The Birds of Australia. on June 15th Actual price: USD $295,500.
  13. Sothebys NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA; WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1781, … on June 13th Actual price: USD $275,000.
  14. Christies Itinerario Voyage ofte Schipvaert naer Oost ofte Portugaels Indien. on June 15th Actual price: USD $247,500.
  15. Christies Nova Francia: Or the Description of that Part of New France, which is one continent with Virginia. Described in the three late Voyages and Plantation made by Monsieur de Monts, Monsieur du Pont-Grané, and Monsieur de Poutrincourt, into three countries cal on June 15th Actual price: USD $247,500.
  16. Christies The Vegetable System. Or, a series of experiments, and observations tending to explain the internal structure, and the life of plants; their growth, and propagation; the number, proportion, and disposition of their constituent parts; with the true course on June 15th Actual price: USD $199,500.
  17. Christies Great News from New-York … His Excellency General Washington … in Person at the Head of Three Thousand of our Troops, crossed the Delaware, attacked the Enemy at Trenton … and after a brisk Action of Thirty-five Minutes, entirely routed them. on June 15th Actual price: USD $175,000.
  18. Christies Daily Federal Republican. on June 15th Actual price: USD $168,750.
  19. Christies The Mammals of Australia. on June 15th Actual price: USD $162,500.
  20. Christies Autograph letter signed ("Go:Washington") to James Jay, Morristown, 12 May 1780. Separate address panel addressed in his hand and bearing his franking signature ("Go:Washington"). on June 15th Actual price: USD $137,500.
  21. Christies The Freeman’s Journal on June 15th Actual price: USD $137,500.
  22. Christies Manuscript Document, the deposition of Mary Daniel against Margaret Scott, Rowley, MA, 4 August 1692. on June 15th Actual price: USD $137,500.
  23. Christies Elementa geometriae. Translated from the Arabic by Adelard of Bath (c. 1080-c. 1152) Edited by Giovanni Campano da Novara (1220-96) on June 15th Actual price: USD $125,000.
  24. Christies The Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia. on June 15th Actual price: USD $125,000.
  25. Christies The Birds of Asia. on June 15th Actual price: USD $125,000.



34 total sales reported this week:

PBA Galleries. Rare Books and Manuscripts on June 15th: 66.25%
Christies. Ornithology Library of Gerald Dorros on June 15th: 79.49%
Christies. Musical Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Opera Guild Collection on June 15th: 88.46%
Christies. Books and Manuscripts on June 15th: 71.95%
Michaans Auctions. June Estates Auction on June 10th: 42.62%
Bloomsbury Auctions. Vintage Posters on June 15th: 50.70%
Bonhams. Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Photographs on June 14th: 86.02%
AntiquarianAuctions.com. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 5/25 on June 1st: 33.80%
Swann Galleries. Art, Press & Illustrated Books on June 13th: 74.13%
Sothebys. Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana on June 13th: 57.14%
Dorotheum . Autographs on June 12th: 32.14%
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on June 13th: 84.62%
Aguttes. Automobilia on June 10th: 75.61%
Potter and Potter Auctions. The Grossman/Nicholson Collection II on June 10th: 93.38%
Potomack Company. Live Auction - Books, Prints on June 10th: 100.00%
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Old and Modern Art, Modern Photography, Antiques on June 9th: 40.49%
Ader. Photographs on June 8th: 40.48%
Moreshet Auctions. Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Letters on June 7th: 64.06%
Il Ponte. Interior Decorations - Day 8 on June 9th: 75.00%
Il Ponte. Interior Decorations - Day 7 on June 8th: 82.76%
Il Ponte. Interior Decorations - Day 6 on June 7th: 70.83%
Il Ponte. Interior Decoration - Day 5 - Books on June 6th: 80.95%
Il Ponte. Interior Decoration - Day 4 - Prints on June 5th: 47.83%
Profiles in History. Animation and Disneyana on June 9th: 57.23%
Profiles in History. Historical and Pop Culture on June 8th: 49.62%
Winter Associates. Art - Prints on June 5th: 91.67%
National Book Auctions. Books, Maps, Ephemera, Photography, Prints, Natural History, Emblems, Audubon, Homann, Roscoe, etc. on June 10th: 100.00%
National Book Auctions. West, Everest, Exploration, 16th Century on June 3rd: 100.00%
Keys Fine Arts Auctioneers. Three Day Books and Ephemera Sale on June 9th: 77.51%
Cowans Auctions. American History on June 9th: 89.73%
Forum Auctions in Italy. Antiquarian and Rare Books on June 8th: 100.00%
Nosbüsch & Stucke. Rare Books and Prints - Day 2 on June 3rd: 57.48%
Nosbüsch & Stucke. Rare Books and Prints - Day 1 on June 2nd: 55.90%
Rago Arts and Auctions. Remix: Effortless Style - Prints and Photographs on June 10th: 60.00%


For the week ahead 24 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Jun. 19th
Adams Amsterdam Auctions. Amsterdam. Books, Prints. 248 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 83 lots

Tue. Jun. 20th
Pandolfini. Florence . Books, Manuscripts and Autographs. 122 lots
Pandolfini. Florence . Prints and Drawings from the 16th to the 20th Century. 186 lots
Henri Godts Books and Prints Auctions. Bruxelles . Books. 575 lots
Stockholms Auktionsverk. Stockholm. Rare Books, Maps and Manuscripts. 327 lots
Winner's Auctions and Exhibitions. Jerusalem. Books and Manuscripts. 98 lots
Ader. PARIS. Letters and Autographs. 333 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Books and Manuscripts. 111 lots

Thu. Jun. 22nd
Bolaffi Ambassador Auctions. Milan. Rare Books and Autographs. 782 lots
Forum Auctions. London. Online Sale: Books and Works on Paper. 475 lots
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Books and Works on Paper. 416 lots
RR Auction. Amherst. Bonnie and Clyde - Online bidstart 6/15. 131 lots
PIASA. Paris. Masters : prints, books, and multiples XXe Including Andy Warhol : L’intégrale. 35 lots
Eldreds. East Dennis,. Fine and Decorative Arts - Prints, Books, etc.. 111 lots
Kestenbaum and Company. New York. Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters & Graphic Art. 343 lots
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Chicago. Fine Art - Prints and Photography. 102 lots

Fri. Jun. 23rd
PIASA. Paris. Asian Art - Books and Prints. 88 lots
Ader. PARIS. Ancient and Modern Books.
Ferraton. Bruxelles. Books, Prints, Photographs.

Sat. Jun. 24th
National Book Auctions. Ithaca. Books.
Stair Auctioneers and Appraisers. Hudson. Fine Auction - Prints. 24 lots

Sun. Jun. 25th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Comics - bidstart 6/18.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Movie Posters - bidstart 6/18.

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

 



  • 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.
  • 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