Auction Update Review

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Rare Book Hub: 28 Auctions Archived, another 29 Upcoming this Week

For the week ended Friday, 6 March 2020, 28 auctions were archived to the Rare Book Hub Transaction Database; 2 denominated in British pounds, 7 in euros, and 19 in US dollars.  Turnover was $10,683,245 as 8,016 lots were offered and 6,826 sold at a svelt 85% rate.  The field is holding together as the emerging crisis for covid-19 is engulfing vulnerable populations.  To all:  Be Safe!!!!

 
4 auctions saw total proceeds reach a million dollars: 

Christies. Contemporary Editions on March 4th: $2,383,375 
Swann Galleries. 19th and 20th Century Prints and Drawings on March 5th: $1,779,358 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on March 4th: $1,608,855 
Sothebys. Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, Juan Hamilton: Passage on March 5th: $1,596,875 
 

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

Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts - Internet bidstart 2/14 on February 23rd: 172.57% 
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Printed Books, Maps & Documents, The Reference Library of the Late John Lawson (1932-2019) on March 4th: 123.16% 
Christies. Contemporary Editions on March 4th: 116.30% 
Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - Internet bidstart 2/25 on March 3rd: 101.74% 


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

Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - Internet bidstart 2/25 on March 3rd: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online on March 2nd: 100.00% 
Heritage Auctions. The Charles Pease Collection Special Currency Online Auction on March 1st: 99.74% 
Heritage Auctions. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 2/16 on March 1st: 99.48% 
Heritage Auctions. U.S. Currency Weekly - Internet Bidstart 2/25 on March 3rd: 99.11% 
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Eclectic Variety - Books, Prints on March 2nd: 96.97% 
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters Weekly - Bidstart 2/23 on March 1st: 96.53% 
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on March 4th: 95.18% 
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Eclectic Variety - Books, Prints on March 3rd: 94.83% 
Heritage Auctions. Vintage Sports Photography Catalog Auction on February 29th: 93.23% 
Potter and Potter Auctions. The Magic Collection of Jim Rawlins - Part 3 on February 29th: 92.58% 
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Printed Books, Maps & Documents, The Reference Library of the Late John Lawson (1932-2019) on March 4th: 92.17% 
Christies. Contemporary Editions on March 4th: 92.00% 
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1800) - Internet bidstart 2/21 on February 28th: 84.11% 
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on February 29th: 81.00% 
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1600) - Internet bidstart 9/27 on February 25th: 80.56% 
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1700) - Internet bidstart 2/14 on February 24th: 80.00% 
 

Top 25 Lots Reported This Past Week.
  1. Sothebys GEORGIA O'KEEFFE - HAND AND WHEEL on March 5th Actual price: USD $400,000.
  2. Heritage Auctions The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed Upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. on March 4th Actual price: USD $312,500.
  3. Sothebys FLOWERS IN A VASE on March 5th Actual price: USD $275,000.
  4. Sothebys 'SPIRITUAL AMERICA' on March 5th Actual price: USD $218,750.
  5. Sothebys '291' on March 5th Actual price: USD $162,500.
  6. Bonhams Autograph manuscript in English, exploring the nature of God, on March 6th Actual price: USD $106,325.
  7. Sothebys SMALL HILLS NEAR ALCALDE on March 5th Actual price: USD $100,000.
  8. Heritage Auctions A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Selected by Emma Smith. on March 4th Actual price: USD $100,000.
  9. Christies $ (1): one plate on March 4th Actual price: USD $87,500.
  10. Christies Flexible on March 4th Actual price: USD $68,750.
  11. Christies Sun State I on March 4th Actual price: USD $68,750.
  12. Sothebys ULYSSES. PARIS: 1922; FIRST EDITION, MARSDEN HARTLEY'S COPY on March 5th Actual price: USD $62,500.
  13. Christies The Book of Love on March 4th Actual price: USD $60,000.
  14. Bonhams Original maquette for the Giving Tree, c.1964, on March 6th Actual price: USD $52,575.
  15. Bonhams White metal vessel, 35 inches high by 26 inches in diameter at widest, bottom 22 inches in diameter, welded "milk jug" with tapered neck, 3 (of 4) wing nut screws at bottom at north, south and east, and two faux hasps at either side of the neck. on March 6th Actual price: USD $50,075.
  16. Sothebys SELECTED IMAGES on March 5th Actual price: USD $50,000.
  17. Christies Touched Red on March 4th Actual price: USD $50,000.
  18. Heritage Auctions Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God... on March 4th Actual price: USD $50,000.
  19. Bonhams A Book of Cats. on March 6th Actual price: USD $43,825.
  20. Bonhams [Beethoven's Ninth] Sinfonie mit Schluss-Chor uber Schillers Ode "An die Freude" fur grosses Orchester. on March 6th Actual price: USD $43,825.
  21. Bonhams Illuminated Manuscript on vellum, in Latin. on March 6th Actual price: USD $43,825.
  22. Christies Self Portrait on March 4th Actual price: USD $43,750.
  23. Christies Candy Apples on March 4th Actual price: USD $43,750.
  24. Christies Figure 5, from Color Numeral Series on March 4th Actual price: USD $43,750.
  25. Sothebys 'GEORGIA O'KEEFFE AND ORVILLE COX, CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA' on March 5th Actual price: USD $40,000.



28 total sales reported this week:

Bonhams. Extraordinary Books and Manuscripts on March 6th: 58.26%
Swann Galleries. 19th and 20th Century Prints and Drawings on March 5th: 74.54%
Sothebys. Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, Juan Hamilton: Passage on March 5th: 62.75%
Forum Auctions. Online Sale: Maps and Atlases on March 5th: 65.52%
Alaska Auction. Online Only Sale - Books, Prints on March 5th: 79.76%
Bruun Rasmussen. Prints on March 3rd: 69.05%
Kedem Auctions Ltd.. Judaica: Books, Manuscripts, Letters on March 4th: 72.47%
RR Auction. Autographs and Artifacts, featuring Pop Culture - online bidstart 2/24 on March 4th: 57.72%
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Printed Books, Maps & Documents, The Reference Library of the Late John Lawson (1932-2019) on March 4th: 92.17%
Christies. Contemporary Editions on March 4th: 92.00%
Heritage Auctions. Rare Books on March 4th: 95.18%
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Eclectic Variety - Books, Prints on March 3rd: 94.83%
Heritage Auctions. World Currency Weekly - Internet bidstart 2/25 on March 3rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. U.S. Currency Weekly - Internet Bidstart 2/25 on March 3rd: 99.11%
Heritage Auctions. Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online on March 2nd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Movie Posters Weekly - Bidstart 2/23 on March 1st: 96.53%
William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals. Eclectic Variety - Books, Prints on March 2nd: 96.97%
Potter and Potter Auctions. The Magic Collection of Jim Rawlins - Part 3 on February 29th: 92.58%
Binoche et Giquello. Books: Avant Garde, Surrealism on February 28th: 62.42%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on February 29th: 81.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts - Internet bidstart 2/14 on February 23rd: 75.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1800) - Internet bidstart 2/21 on February 28th: 84.11%
Catawiki B. V.. Cartography - Online Bidstart 2/21 on February 27th: 42.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1600) - Internet bidstart 9/27 on February 25th: 80.56%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (Pre-1700) - Internet bidstart 2/14 on February 24th: 80.00%
Heritage Auctions. The Charles Pease Collection Special Currency Online Auction on March 1st: 99.74%
Heritage Auctions. Vintage Sports Photography Catalog Auction on February 29th: 93.23%
Heritage Auctions. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 2/16 on March 1st: 99.48%

 


For the week ahead 29 sales are scheduled:

Mon. Mar. 9th
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Prints. 103 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (Pre-1700) - Internet bidstart 1/24. 65 lots

Tue. Mar. 10th
ALDE. Paris. Ancient and 19th Century Books. 360 lots
JA Stargardt Autographenhandlung. Berlin. Autographs - Day 1. 377 lots
PosterConnection Inc.. Clayton. Winter Sale of Affordable Posters. 398 lots
Swann Galleries. New York. Printed and Manuscript Americana. 370 lots
Rossini. Paris. COLLECTIONS: ADVERTISING ART - AUTOMOBILIA - AVIATION - SHIPPING AND RAILWAYS - CALCULATING MACHINES. 220 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (Pre-1600) - Internet bidstart 2/28. 30 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. U.S. Currency Weekly - Internet Bidstart 3/3. 823 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. World Currency Weekly - Internet bidstart 3/3. 163 lots

Wed. Mar. 11th
Bonhams. London. Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Historical Photographs. 156 lots
Bonhams. New York. Medical and Scientific Library of Bruce Fye - Part III - Online bidstart 3/1. 337 lots
Nye & Company Auctioneers. Bloomfield. Pop Up Fine Art Auction. 60 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Photographs Monthly Online Auction. 122 lots
JA Stargardt Autographenhandlung. Berlin. Autographs - Day 2. 259 lots
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers. Kilkenny. Spring Rare Book Sale. 901 lots

Thu. Mar. 12th
PIASA. Paris. Editions. 166 lots
Forum Auctions. London. Online Sale: The Erwin Tomash Library on the History of Computing: the residual part. 292 lots
Sothebys. New York. Prints and Multiples Online - bidstart 3/4. 67 lots

Fri. Mar. 13th
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Lancaster. Books. 400 lots
Leland Little Auctions. Hillsborough, NC. The Contemporary Art Auction. 67 lots
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Brugge. Spring Auction - Books and Prints. 986 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (Pre-1800) - Internet bidstart 3/6.

Sat. Mar. 14th
Leland Little Auctions. Hillsborough, NC. The Important Spring Auction. 51 lots
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Franklin. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper. 200 lots

Sun. Mar. 15th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sports Collectibles Weekly - Bidstart 3/1. 171 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters Weekly - Bidstart 3/8.
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Autographs and Manuscripts - Internet bidstart 3/6.

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