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Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 41. Rare First State of the First Printed Map Devoted to the Arctic (1595) Est. $14,000 - $17,000Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 63. The Largest of the Strada "Leo Belgicus" Editions (1632) Est. $3,250 - $4,000Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 71. Blaeu's Stunning Carte-a-Figures Map of the Americas (1640) Est. $4,000 - $4,750Old 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 - $6,000Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 172. 1775 Edition of the Landmark Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia and Maryland (1775) Est. $12,000 - $15,000Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 46. Doppelmayr's Fine Celestial Chart (1742) Est. $800 - $950Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 212. First Edition Ski Country Map by Pioneer Hal Shelton (1965) Est. $500 - $700Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 732. Ruscelli's Complete Atlas with 69 Maps and Updated Maps of the Continents (1599) Est. $8,000 - $9,500Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 329. Ortelius' Map of Iceland Surrounded by Sea Monsters (1585) Est. $11,000 - $13,000Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 600. Heinrich Bunting's Rare Map of Asia in the Form of a Pegasus (1581) Est. $3,000 - $3,750Old 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 23Ketterer, Nov. 23: L. Feininger, Collection of autograph letters to Alois J. Schardt, 1920-1955. Est: € 150,000-250,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: Flemish book of hours, Ghent-Bruges School around 1480-1500. Est: € 40,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: F. de Wit, Atlas maior, around 1700. Est: € 50,000Ketterer Rare Books
Auction November 23Ketterer, Nov. 23: A. Stieglitz, Camera Work, 48 volumes, 1903-1914. Est: € 60,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. Merian & M. Zeiller, Sämtliche Topographien, 21 volumes, 1642-1736. Est: € 50,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: R. Indiana and R. Creely, Numbers, 1968. Est: € 4,000Ketterer Rare Books
Auction November 23Ketterer, Nov. 23: Salerno Breviarium, Latin manuscript on vellum, North Italy around 1470-1476. Est: € 40,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. S. Merian, Surinaamsche (&) europische Insecten, 1730. Est: € 30,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: M. Beckmann, Jahrmarkt, Portfolio of 10 signed etchings, 1922. Est: € 25,000Ketterer Rare Books
Auction November 23Ketterer, Nov. 23: Justinianus, Infortiatum, 1475. Est: € 10,000Ketterer, Nov. 23: B. Besler, Hortus Eystettensis, around 1750. Est: € 28,000Ketterer, 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, 2026Sotheby’s
Nelson, His Life and His Navy:
The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts
November 18, 2026Sotheby’s
Nelson, His Life and His Navy:
The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts
November 18, 2026
Wednesday Auction Report
RBH Auction Report for Week ending May 8, 2026 (#40)
RBH Auction Report for Week ending May 8, 2026 (#40)
Hammer Price
Heritage led the RBH top 25 auction results with 11 of their offerings on the list. Placing first was a 1977 Luke Skywalker rookie card (Topps Star Wars - Series 1) graded PSA 10 which sold for $687,500 on May 4. Also prominent on the list were University Archives with items from their May 6 sale of rare autographs, manuscripts and books and Swann Galleries with a variety of important signed photographs. See below for other highlights of the week.
For the week ended May 8, a total of 58 auctions were archived to Rare Book Hub’s database of rare and collectible books, manuscripts, maps and ephemera.
Turnover was $11.9 million. The average lot brought $1,164. There were 14,489 lots offered, of these 10,297 found new homes. For the week 71.07% of all lots offered were sold. Two auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars.
Next week's calendar includes 84 sales. Reports were provided primarily in Dollars ($), Pounds (£), and Euros (€)
This is the FREE LINK - any viewer may use this link to see the complete report for the past week and list of upcoming auctions for next week:
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_updates/1096
All other links require an RBH subscription to view the complete text of the archived record.
Selected Highlights
1. The 1896 Kelmscott Chaucer sold at Bonhams on May 5 (David Godine Collection Part I) for $140,200. The high presale estimate was $90,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9718440?key=10221150292c95f81e6f116eef2f6bc4d3004592
2. Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon ca. 1830 sold at University Archives on May 6 for $168,750, somewhat below the presale estimate of $220,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9698799?key=d5a3380ed2bdd327905cc983b567f17f706821c0
3. A collection of 18 Bauhaus postcards from the Weimar Bauhaus Exhibition of 1923 including
images by Feininger; Kandinsky; Klee; Marcks; Moholy-Nagy and others sold at Kiefer Buch und Kunstauktionen Book and Art Auction Day 3 on May 8 for €112,500 ($132,102).
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9726334?key=d3c4c6c2f6d674c4a75236eb638e7b3b9d666e53
4. A signed and inscribed photo of John Wilkes Booth ca. 1862-1865 sold at Swann Galleries on May 7 for $107,950. The presale high estimate was $10,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9718859?key=629a2dcffcb49a292e28c41f84dfab83ba5147b3
5. An 1893 letter by Frederick Douglass on Slavery sold at University Archives on May 6 for $68,750.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9698795?key=f17f8742010a4fafd4b36c1cd05c5354459ab6f8
6. A 1652 Map of America by J. Blaeu sold on May 7 in Germany at Kiefer Buch und Kunstauktionen (Day 2) for €60,000 ($70,454). The presale high estimate was €9,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9701409?key=8771af1627c228535d56feaef42707e083b1a43f
7. Yellow Cruise, Citroen Central Asia Expedition, 1931-31 3rd G.M. Haardt Audouin-Dubreuil Mission sold at Gros & Delettrez (France) on May 6 for €44,200 ($51,952). The presale high estimate was €2,500.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9718126?key=1a41acbf1148fe5e9526e214728a694becc32fa4
8. Stride Toward Freedom: the Montgomery Story, 1958 signed by Martin Luther King sold at University Archive Rare Autographs, Manuscripts and Books sale on May 6 for $10,000. The presale estimate was $4,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9698798?key=a7f94f337b09a84b65597831ea8f89e32cb64232
9. A 1940 pen and ink portrait of Jared French by Paul Cadmus sold at Rago Arts and Auctions on May 6 for $17,920. The presale high estimate was $5,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9715017?key=ab476d995ac94a6413791cd43d6fe4cc073f64c9
10. Two first editions by Cormac McCarthy: Outer Dark (1968) and The Orchard Keeper (1965) both first editions in less than pristine condition sold as a pair at New England Book Auction on May 5 for $1,920.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9702492?key=3fa661150059597b60d49b82ac7c0b3303d5c86f
11. A 1977 Luke Skywalker rookie trading card from Topps Star Wars Series 1 graded PSA 10 sold at Heritage on May 4 for $687,500, more than double the presale high estimate of $300,000.
https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9640293?key=968076f84bfc5325c39079d848e9d32a1c27beda
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Forum
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
Thursday 19th NovemberForum, 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 - £50,000Forum, Nov. 19: Crescenzi (Bartolomeo). Nautica mediterranea, 2 parts in 1, second edition, with rare engraved folding map, Rome, Bartolomeo Bonfadino, 1607. £15,000 - £20,000Forum, Nov. 19: Aristotle. [The Works], 10 vol.,, translated by Thomas Taylor, Printed for the Translator... by Robert Wilks, 1807-12. £6,000-8,000Forum
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
Thursday 19th NovemberForum, 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]. £6,000-8,000Forum, Nov. 19: Vitruvius Pollio (Marcus). I Dieci Libri dell'Architettura, translated by Daniele Barbaro, Venice, Francesco Marcolini, 1556. £7,000-10,000Forum, Nov. 19: Rowling (J.K.) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, first edition, hardback issue, first printing, Bloomsbury, 1997. £50,000-70,000Forum
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
Thursday 19th NovemberForum, 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. £15,000-20,000Forum, 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). £35,000-45,000Forum, 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. £15,000-20,000Forum
Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
Thursday 19th NovemberForum, Nov. 19: Gersdorff (Hans von). Feldtbuch der Wund-Arzney, enlarged edition, Strassburg, Hans Schotten, 1540. £20,000-30,000Forum, 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. £8,000-12,000Forum, 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 -
Heritage, Dec. 9: Philip K. Dick. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? First edition, author Brian Aldiss’ copy.Heritage, Dec. 9: Robert A. Heinlein. Assignment in Eternity. First edition, inscribed by Heinlein to author “Doc” Smith.Heritage, Dec. 9: Frank Herbert. Dune. First edition, inscribed by Herbert to his literary agent.Heritage, Dec. 9: J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. First edition, first impression, in an unrestored dust jacket.Heritage, Dec. 9: Jules Verne. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Exceedingly rare, perhaps unique variant, English sheets bound in an American Osgood binding.Heritage, Dec. 9: Isaac Asimov. The Naked Sun. First edition, inscribed by Asimov to Alex Berman, founder of Phantasia Press.