By Hammer Price

This week, Heritage dominated the big ticket auctions with antique baseball cards, comics, other sports items, gaming card collectibles, posters, entertainment and pop culture. In all, 19 of the top 25 RBH results for the week came from the Dallas firm. 

This week there were 78 auctions archived to Rare Book Hub’s data base. Turnover was $80,264,913. The average lot brought $6,913.There were 13,728 lots offered; of these 11,610 found new homes. For the week 84.57% of all lots offered were sold.

At RBH our primary expertise is books, photos, prints, maps, works of art on paper such as prints and multiples. We also follow paper ephemera, manuscripts, pamphlets, newspapers, other periodicals, ‘zines, autographs and association materials, as well as anything on paper.

RBH strive to present an international view of the auction world including the US, UK, EU, Latin America, Australia and other parts of the world.

As you might imagine, it’s hard to read dozens of auctions, read them rapidly and on a deadline, and of course – taste is subjective. Just to be clear: All Hammer_Price content is 100% human. No bots, no AI.

Unlike prior weeks, where the auction report tried to indicate the breadth of the market: what brought high prices, events with high sell-through rates and high dollar volume, this week’s focus is on three selected auction. 

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HIGHLIGHTS

On the book side  Kestenbaum and Company. The Library of the late Dr. Michael D. Paul of St. John’s, Newfoundland. on March 5th realized $1,392,313. This was the only primarily book related sale of the week to earn over a million dollars.

Some of the highlights of this sale are:

1. At Kestenbaum: INSECTS OF SURINAM (1719-26) with 72 striking hand colored plates sold for $117,000, nearly double the presale high estimate.

(ENTOMOLOGY). MERIAN, MARIA SIBYLLA, GREAT PLATE BOOK ON INSECTS.

Dissertatio de Generatione et Metamorphosibus Insectorum Surinamensium.

FIRST COMPLETE EDITION. Title with hand-colored engraved vignette, dedication leaf to Balthazar Scott with hand-colored coat-of-arms, engraved frontispiece after F. Ottens, 72 fine hand-colored copper-engraved plates of insects, plants and lizards by P. Sluyter, J. Mulder and D. Stooppendaal after Merian. Occasional light discoloration, plates excellent. Gilt-ruled crushed morocco, spine gilt extra, rubbed. Tall folio. Dunthorne 205; Hunt 467; Nissen BBI 1341.

Amsterdam, Jan Oosterwyk, 1719 (-26).

MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN'S The first complete edition, containing all seventy-two plates of one of the most famous publications on tropical insects and flowers.

The first edition, containing sixty plates, was published in 1705, following Maria Sybilla Merian's voyage to the Dutch colony of Surinam. The work provides a wealth of information and illustration on the metamorphoses of South American insects and the exotic plants on which they feed. The extraordinary detail and vivid colors of the plates are without precedent in the history of entomological and botanical literature.

Following Maria Merian's death in 1717, her daughter Johanna produced an additional ten plates, together with two by the collector Albert Seba, which are published here for the first time. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9545638?key=526e7de4e68932acc0c6387b21a4e61d7b8f5ec0

2. At Kestenbaum: Mercator Atlas, Amsterdam 1613, first French edition following the death of Jodocus Hondius. The volume contains 150 double page engraved maps. It sold for $94,250, nearly double the presale high estimate.

(ATLAS). MERCATOR, GERARD.

L'Atlas ou Méditations Cosmographiques de la fabrique du monde et Figure d'iceluy.

Engraved architectural title with overslips, double portrait of Mercator and Hondius, 4 engraved divisional titles, 150 mostly double-page engraved maps with contemporary hand-color; titles, maps and initial letters heightened with gold. Amalia, Furstin von Gallitzin book-label. Some minor repair and strengthening mainly at folds, occasional staining and browning. Contemporary mottled calf, neatly repaired at extremities. Folio. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Koeman II, Me 23A; van der Krogt 1:112.

Amsterdam, Jodocus Hondius [but Colette Hondius], 1613.

The Mercator/Hondius is one of the most important atlases in history. Begun by Mercator in 1595, it was continued by Jodocus Hondius who purchased Mercator's plates in 1604. In 1606 the first Amsterdam edition of the Mercator Atlas appeared; from then to 1638, the atlas saw many enlarged editions in various languages. This is the first French edition to be published following the death of Jodocus Hondius in 1612. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9545567?key=01ef22ead1fe66ea1b631ccd26ee792e00f4aafe

3. Kestenbaum: Mercator Atlas, Amsterdam,1632 sold for $24,700, double the presale high estimate. 

(ATLAS). MERCATOR, GERARD.

Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica mundi et fabricati figura.

Engraved title set in an architectural and allegorical surround, 179 engraved maps. Latin text. Lightly discolored. Full vellum, covers bowed. Oblong 4to. Phillips, Atlases 443; Koeman, Me 200; Sabin 47882.

Amsterdam, Johannis Cloppenburgh, 1632.

Jacobus Hondius published the first edition of the Atlas Minor in 1607, introducing small format atlases to a wider audience. The Hondius plates went through many editions and were eventually sold in 1621 to a London publisher. In 1628 Jansson published a series of new editions of the Atlas Minor, some having the copperplates made by Pieter van den Keere and Abraham Goos. At about the same time, Cloppenburgh in Amsterdam published a French (1630) and this Latin edition in a slightly larger format, many of the copperplates were made by Pieter van der Keere. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9545573?key=dc6d0fc610657cb74720b97e0f0b990d5d665ecc

Gorringes UK. Books and Manuscripts; House and Garden on March 2nd: 129.51% featured 184 lots. Sale totaled £96,867. 

4. Gorringes UK: Top lot was a 15th century illuminated Psalter. It sold for £16,900 ($22,521). The high presale estimate was £3,000.

Psalter Hours of the use of Sarum; English, probably London, third or fourth decades of the 15th century. Bound in late 19th century leather, tooled in gilt, the spine embossed: HORAE BEATAE VIRGINIS SAEC XV. ; marbled endpapers; 99 parchment folios, 18.5 x 12.5 cm; written space occupies 11.4 x 6.8 cm at 20 lines per page; minor worm damage from folio 75, not affecting text; three-sided illuminated borders in blue, green, coral, white and liquid gold employing trumpet, kidney and gold ball with green squiggle motifs; initials in blue and gold with rubricated surrounds; corrections accomplished by deletion, interlineation, margination or cancellation by rules in black or red ink; foliated c1900; folios 98 and 99 bear records of the births of the children of William Junklin and Thomas Chalfont of Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, 1523-1546

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9559169?key=775075a71516dbe79d37ca742916d31a25c37a3f

5. Gorringes UK: SINGAPORE and the Straits Settlement (1858) by Thomas Braddell sold for £3,900 ($5,197), high presale estimate was £600.

Braddell, Thomas - Singapore and the Straits Settlements Described; and the arrangements for the future government of these possessions, considered... (i),vii,56pp.; rebound brown paper boards, printed spine label, printed upper wrapper bound-in. printed by M. Gregory Sr. Pinang Gazette Press, (1858). *Sir Thomas Braddell, (1823-1891) the highly thought of Singapore Attorney-General, who successfully argued that the Straits Settlements should be governed quite separately from India. 

Direct link to the original lot https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/Braddell,-Thomas---Singapore-and-the-Straits-Settlements-Des&salelot=020326++1042+&refno=90180896

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9559158?key=80e4e7edd2ebf4b962479a3ea8b8dc9733daabcc

6. Gorringes UK: Keppel (1846) Expedition to Borneo for suppression of Piracy in two volumes sold for £1,040 ($1,385), high presale estimate was £359.

Keppel, Capt. Henry - Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the Suppression of Piracy: with extracts from the Journal of James Brooke, Esq. of Sarawak... 2 vols. 11 lithographed plates, 5 folded maps, a folded plan and a folded table; original blind decorated cloth, gilt lettered spines. Chapman and Hall, 1846 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9559279?key=0da24444cfc5d307439a795e4a133d98d32ae0f0

Direct link to auction catalog for this item with more photos https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/asp/fullcatalogue.asp?salelot=020326++1177+&refno=90182626&image=3

MAGIC WAS THE TOPIC of one of the week’s most interesting specialty events. On Feb. 28 Potter and Potter presented  Literature and Legerdemain This sale featured many scarce and colorful items including books, posters and other magic & illusion collectibles. It offered 424 lots with a 98.82% sell through rate. 

7. Potter & Potter: Magic Self Decapitation (1898) large stone litho advertising an amazing illusion sold for $20,000.

KELLAR, Harry (Heinrich Keller, 1849 - 1922). Kellar in His Latest Mystery. Self Decapitation. Cincinnati: Strobridge Litho, 1898. Stone lithograph shows Kellar seated in a chair, his disembodied head floating within a vaporous blue ring above his outstretched arms. 30 1/4 x 20". Wide margins, bright colors, and entirely unblemished. A. Linen backed. RARE.

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9555489?key=e2322f1b55149f0560148f105f7c1922634d1064

8. Potter & Potter: Chung Ling Soo Conjurer, half sheet litho ca 1915, sold for $11,875. The presale high estimate was $7,000.

CHUNG Ling Soo (William E. Robinson, 1861 -- 1918). Chung Ling Soo. The Marvelous Chinese Conjurer. Ashton-Under-Lyne: Horrocks & Co, Ltd., ca. 1915. Half-sheet (20 x 30") color lithograph with a willow plate motif, Chung's face at the center of each plate, on a patterned background. Linen backed. 30 x 20". A-. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auctions/auction_detail?id=48015

9. Potter & Potter: The Whole Art of of Legerdermain or Hocus Pocus (1781) sold for $8,125, double the presale high estimate.

DEAN, Henry. The Whole Art of Legerdemain: or Hocus Pocus in Perfection. London: Printed for J. Bew, 1781. Original linen over boards, spine rubbed and general wear to cloth. Woodcut frontispiece, woodcuts in text. [i -- v], vi, [7], 8 -- 132. 12mo. Inked ownership signature and notations of Joseph Carlin dated 1788 to pastedowns and endpapers. Marginal chips and tears (close cropping to E6 with some minor effect to words), general toning. Cloth drop-spine box with gilt titling to spine. Toole Stott 210. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9555407?key=34e1da6c8b0212afe35bf0e966d38c5e30260d56

10. One of the Heritage standouts for the week was a 1915 Babe Ruth rookie photo together with a collection of 41 other related items at the Feb. 28- March 1 winter sports catalog auction. The lot sold for $585,000.

1915 Babe Ruth Original Rookie Photograph by G.T. Murray Studios, PSA/DNA Type 1. A grouping of forty-one photos from the personal collection of contemporary Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin that entered the hobby some years ago contained a snapshot-sized example of this photograph and, by virtue of the other images that accompanied it, assured that this glorious early portrait of the Babe derives from the Red Sox' 1915 visit to Hot Springs, Arkansas for spring training. 

Ruth's Major League career was four games old at that point, with twenty-three innings on the mound and two base hits at the plate, neither a home run. With photographs from that blink-and-you'll-miss-it service to the 1914 edition of the BoSox virtually unknown, this 1915 preseason image is one of a literal handful of Ruth photos in a Major League uniform that predate his first round-tripper, launched on May 6, 1915. 

While this distinction alone would be enough to elicit roars of approval from the advanced vintage baseball photography crowd, the offered specimen provides both the classic Dead Ball Era pitcher's pose and spectacular clarity to amplify its appeal. 

We also love that "G.T. Murray, Boston" studio logo at lower right, hammering home the point that this is the Babe with the team he'd famously "curse" upon his trade to the Yankees in 1920. An ink stamp from the studio likewise appears on verso along with a faint pencil notation reading "Pretty," presumably a commentary on Ruth's pitching form. 

Dimensions are 8x6". Close inspection reveals four vertical creases suggesting the photo was once rolled and lightly compressed, but our online imagery should confirm how these faults virtually disappear at a reasonable viewing distance. 

The photo derives from the personal collection of George Whiteman, who played twenty-five seasons of professional baseball inclusive of three brief stints in the Bigs--four games with the 1907 Red Sox, eleven games with the 1913 Yankees and seventy-one games with the 1918 Boston Red Sox, as well as all six games of the Fall Classic that would supply New England with the last World Championship for eighty six years to come. Whiteman and Ruth shared left field duties during the Series, the former walking off a Big League field for the last time as the Babe replaced him in the top of the eighth inning of the sixth and final game. 

https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_lot_books/9517536?key=d9cfa433dcc5755a2d3b2eafb0ca2d3b5c8b2ef6

Other auctions this week that realized over a million dollars were:

Heritage Auctions. Winter Platinum Night Sports Catalog Auction on March 1st: $35,837,262

Heritage Auctions. Comic Art Signature Auction on March 1st: $15,559,203

Heritage Auctions. Comic Books Signature Auction on February 28th: $11,953,922

Sothebys. The David Hockney Sale: The Arrival of Spring, on March 5th: $6,070,952

Sothebys. Contemporary Day Auction on March 5th: $1,651,128

SELECTED UPCOMING AUCTIONS

Wed. Mar. 11th
ALDE. Paris. Rare and Valuable Books from the 15th to 19th Centuries. 190 lots
Hansons. Etwall, Derbyshire . The Music, Vinyl, and Film Memorabilia Auction. 79 lots
Ader. PARIS. Autographed Letters and Manuscripts, Part II. 294 lots
Grant Zahajko Auctions. DAVENPORT. Prints, Multiples & Works on Paper ft. Asian Works. 417 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Baseball, Photographs by David Levinthal, Sold to Benefit the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency Showcase Auction. 36 lots
Purcell Auctioneers. Birr. c.600 Lot Auction to include Irish Local Histories with a Special Section on Kilkenny and Graiguenamanagh in Particular, Rare, Limited & Signed First Editions, Significant GAA Programmes etc.. 602 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Depth of Field: Photographs Showcase Auction. 154 lots
Nye & Company Auctioneers. Bloomfield. The Gentleman Collector: The Art of the Grand Tour.. 22 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Autographs & Manuscripts Auction. 124 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old & Rare Books Auction Pre-1700. 34 lots
Santa Fe Art Auction. Santa Fe. Prints, Multiples, and Works on Paper - Day 2. 121 lots
Old World Auctions. Richmond. Maps and Atlases. 300 lots
Ripley Auctions. Indianapolis. Fine Art Discovery Live! Paintings, Works on Paper, Prints, Sculpture, & More. 89 lots

Thu. Mar. 12th
Chiswick Auctions. London. Books and Works on Paper. 333 lots
Christies. New York. The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame. 10 lots
Bonhams. London, New Bond Street. Deeds Not Words. Women's Suffrage Part II.
Potter and Potter Auctions. Chicago. Picture This: Fine, Vintage & Vernacular Photography. 335 lots
Bertolami Fine Art . Rome. BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS AND MAPS Including part of the Marquises Bruti Liberati Collection. 206 lots
Dreweatts. Newbury. To the Moon: Collecting the Dream (A Curated Selection of Photography from a Private Collection),. 298 lots
Nye & Company Auctioneers. Bloomfield. The Gentleman Collector: The Art of the Grand Tour., Day 2. 14 lots
Mirabaud-Mercier Auctioneers. PARIS . Classic Sale - Various Collections. 32 lots

Fri. Mar. 13th
Christies. New York. The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of Pop Culture. 48 lots
Giquello. rue La Boetie, Paris. Antiquarian and Modern Books. 311 lots
Marc van de Wiele Auctions. Brugge. Spring Auction.
Mennonite Life. Lancaster. Rare and Used Book Auction. 401 lots
Nye & Company Auctioneers. Bloomfield. Chic & Antique Auction.. 21 lots
Rago Arts and Auctions. Lambertville. Prints Unlimited. 220 lots
Rossini. Paris. Classic Art, Historical Memories. 53 lots

Sat. Mar. 14th
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Franklin. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper. 150 lots
PosterConnection Inc.. Clayton. Travel Posters. 398 lots Vermot de Pas. Paris. Movie Posters. 387 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Exclusive Maps Auction. 36 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Historical Photography Auction. 71 lots
North American Auction Company. Bozeman. Spirit of the West: Premier March Native American & Western Auction. 166 lots
OSENAT. FONTAINEBLEAU. Design. 24 lots
Morton Subastas. México DF CP 11000. Saturday Sale.
Sun. Mar. 15th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Movie Posters Select Auction.
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old & Rare Books Auction Pre-1700. 74 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Photography Books Auction. 30 lots
Sydney Rare Book Auctions. Ultimo. ART Renaissance to Modernism: Monographs, Raisonne; Illustrated books & Scientific Explorations.
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Science & Nature Books Auction. 42 lots

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