Auction Update Review

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Rare Book Hub: 18 Auctions Archived, another 12 Upcoming this Week

For the week ended Saturday 15 December 2018 18 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Hub Transaction Database; 1 denominated in Swiss francs, 1 in euros, 5 in British pounds, 1 in Hong Kong dollars, and 10 in US dollars.  Turnover was $11,425,422 as 8,498 lots were offered and 7,027 sold for a 83% success rate.  Brexit, American political unrest, and worldwide economic uncertainty continue to undermine consignor and bidder resolve.  The material in the rooms has been exceptional and will continue to be so into 2019.

  

3 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars: 

Christies. Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts Including Americana on December 4th: $5,425,625 
Heritage Auctions. Animation Art on December 9th: $1,956,296 
Arader Galleries. December Auction on December 8th: $1,541,007 

 


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

Leland Little Auctions. Important Winter Auction on December 1st: 170.59% 
ALDE. Italian Impressions on December 12th: 112.06% 


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

Leland Little Auctions. Important Winter Auction on December 1st: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. Animation Art on December 9th: 98.67% 
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Comics - bidstart 12/2 on December 9th: 98.32% 
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles - Internet bidstart 11/11 on December 9th: 97.35% 
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Internet Currency Auction - Internet bidstart 12/4 on December 11th: 96.72% 
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Movie Posters - bidstart 12/2 on December 9th: 95.02% 
Heritage Auctions. HKINF World Currency Signature Auction on December 6th: 91.19% 
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 8th: 88.32% 

 

 

Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Christies DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE – In Congress, July 4, 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. on December 4th Actual price: USD $852,500.
  2. Christies Liber Chronicarum. on December 4th Actual price: USD $372,500.
  3. Christies Novum ac magnum theatrum urbium Belgicae Regiae [– Foederate.] on December 4th Actual price: USD $287,500.
  4. Christies De lateribus et angulis triangulorum, tum planorum rectilineorum tum Sphaericorum, libellus eruditissimus & utilissimus... Additus est Canon semissium subtensarum rectarum linearum in Circulo. on December 4th Actual price: USD $200,000.
  5. Christies World War II Scrapbook, including 22 autograph letters signed ("Kurt III" and "Kay") to his family; together with telegrams, period photographs, printed matter, ephemera, and related material; on December 4th Actual price: USD $187,500.
  6. Christies Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. on December 4th Actual price: USD $162,500.
  7. Christies On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. on December 4th Actual price: USD $162,500.
  8. Arader Galleries Hooping Crane, Plate 266. on December 8th Actual price: USD $150,000.
  9. Arader Galleries Louisiana Heron, Plate 217. on December 8th Actual price: USD $137,500.
  10. Christies Entertaining Passages Relating to Philip's War which Began in the Month of June, 1675. on December 4th Actual price: USD $125,000.
  11. Christies The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. on December 4th Actual price: USD $125,000.
  12. Arader Galleries Brown Pelican (Standing), Plate 251. on December 8th Actual price: USD $118,750.
  13. Christies Les Singularitez de la France Antarctique. on December 4th Actual price: USD $100,000.
  14. Arader Galleries History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred and Twenty Portraits from the Indian Gallery ... at Washington. on December 8th Actual price: USD $93,750.
  15. Christies Ulysses. on December 4th Actual price: USD $93,750.
  16. Christies Wild Flowers of New England. on December 4th Actual price: USD $87,500.
  17. Christies Voyage pittoresque autour du monde, avec des portraits de sauvages d'Amérique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des iles du Grand Ocean; des paysages, des vues maritimes, et plusieurs objets d'histoire naturelle. on December 4th Actual price: USD $87,500.
  18. Arader Galleries A Bill in the Chancery of New-Jersey, at the Suit of John Earl of Stair, and others, Proprietors of the Eastern-Division of New-Jersey; against Benjamin Bond, and some other Persons of Elizabeth-Town. on December 8th Actual price: USD $81,250.
  19. Christies Autograph manuscript, headed "The Lord of the Rings III," being late revisions to Return of the King, book six, chapter two, on December 4th Actual price: USD $81,250.
  20. Christies A correspondence, including 13 letters from Gandhi, five of which are autograph letters signed ("M.K.Gandhi"), to Earl Stanley Jones, Sabarmati and Sevagram, 1922-1940. on December 4th Actual price: USD $81,250.
  21. Christies A superb collection of original printing plates for Tenniel’s celebrated illustrations to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, on December 4th Actual price: USD $81,250.
  22. Christies The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Translated by Andrew Motte. on December 4th Actual price: USD $81,250.
  23. Christies Itinerario. on December 4th Actual price: USD $75,000.
  24. Christies Elementa geometria, in Arabic. Recension of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. on December 4th Actual price: USD $75,000.
  25. Christies Miss Lonelyhearts. on December 4th Actual price: USD $72,500.



18 total sales reported this week:

Christies. Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts Including Americana on December 4th: 74.32%
Forum Auctions. Online Sale: Books and Works on Paper on December 11th: 72.52%
Forum Auctions. Online Sale: Select Modern & Contemporary Editions and Artist's Books on December 7th: 16.26%
Keys Fine Arts Auctioneers. Books, day 2 on December 7th: 52.83%
Keys Fine Arts Auctioneers. Books, Maps, Prints and Ephemera on December 6th: 68.74%
RR Auction. Fine Autograph and Artifact Auction featuring Pop Culture - Online bidstart: 11/16 on December 5th: 63.43%
ALDE. Italian Impressions on December 12th: 57.93%
Leland Little Auctions. Important Winter Auction on December 1st: 100.00%
Arader Galleries. December Auction on December 8th: 71.29%
Koller Auctions. Photography on December 4th: 57.23%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Comics - bidstart 12/2 on December 9th: 98.32%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles - Internet bidstart 11/11 on December 9th: 97.35%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Internet Currency Auction - Internet bidstart 12/4 on December 11th: 96.72%
Chiswick Auctions. Printed Books & Manuscripts; Photographica on November 28th: 72.79%
Heritage Auctions. HKINF World Currency Signature Auction on December 6th: 91.19%
Heritage Auctions. Animation Art on December 9th: 98.67%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Internet Movie Posters - bidstart 12/2 on December 9th: 95.02%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 8th: 88.32%

 


For the week ahead 12 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Dec. 17th
Il Ponte. Milan. Photographs. 62 lots
Tajan. Paris. Books - Internet bidstart 12/10. 164 lots
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 100 lots

Tue. Dec. 18th
Bonhams. London. Prints and Multiples. 168 lots
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Chadds Ford, PA . December 18th Eclectic Variety Auction. 34 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Tuesday Internet Currency Auction - Internet bidstart 12/11. 639 lots

Wed. Dec. 19th
Il Ponte. Milan. Photographs. 18 lots
Sothebys. New York. Important Judaica, Including a Distinquished Private Collection. 81 lots

Sat. Dec. 22nd
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Franklin. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper.

Sun. Dec. 23rd
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Comics - bidstart 12/16.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Movie Posters - bidstart 12/16.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Internet Sports Collectibles Auction - online bidstart 11/25. 132 lots

Bruce McKinney

RBH and AE

 

  • 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.
  • 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