The prior week's top items at auction sales in the field of books and collectible paper was for prints. The week before it was trading cards. This past week, it was nothing in particular. Nonetheless, the money continued to flow. For the week of April 18-24, over $23 million changed hands.

At the top of the list was a name that will mean little if anything to Americans. Europeans, the French in particular, have different priorities. The top price was cover art for Les Lauriers de Cesar (the Laurels of Caesar), a comic album featuring the character Asterix. Ever heard of him? If you are from France, you know him well. Asterix is the indomitable defender of Gaul against the Romans. The overweight character in no way resembles an American superhero. The cover art from 1972 sold for $450,000 at Heritage Auctions.
 

Asterix was not finished with the top 10. The character was also the subject of the ninth highest priced item sold at auction, a story board from Chez les Helvetes (Asterix in Switzerland). It was published in 1970. It sold for $212,500.

The top selling $450,000 Asterix wasn't first by much. Le Roman de la Rose, when converted from British pounds to U.S. Dollars, sold for the equivalent of $449,670. This book was a little older than the 1970s Asterix, having been published in 1481. Also selling for the equivalent of $449,670 was Opera from Lactantius. This one was even older, being published in 1465. It was the first dated book published in Italy.
 

As long as we are looking at very old books, how about one from 1528? This is Il libro del cortegiano del conte Baldesar Castiglione. That translates to The Book of the Courtier by Count Baldesar Castiglione. There is something very special about this book besides its age. It was once owned by the great French collector Jean Grolier, for whom the Grolier Club was named. The price was the U.S. equivalent of $415,080.

This one must have surprised the auctioneers at Sotheby's. It's a filled in scorecard from round 17 of the 1972 world chess championship between Russian Boris Spassky and American Bobby Fischer. Fischer was leading, but this round was a draw. Fischer eventually won. Chess matches don't normally cause much of a stir, but this one did because of the Russian-American Cold War competition. Sotheby's estimated it (translated to U.S. Dollars) at $6,731 - $9,423. They missed. It sold for $190,245.

The highest total for any auction during the week went to Heritage Auctions' International Comic Art Signature Auction. This one featured Albert Uderzo's Asterix items. The total for all lots was $2,763,300.

If you missed out last week, there's no need to worry. Next week will bring a new selection. Between today (Wednesday, April 29) and next Tuesday, 85 more auctions are on the schedule. You can check out the schedule here: www.rarebookhub.com/auctions/calendar?year=2026&month=5