For the week ending Saturday June 30^th, 2012 14 sales were archived; 1 denominated in Swiss Francs, 1 in British pounds, 3 in euros and 9 in US dollars.  Sales totaled $5,380,268, 58% of the $9,210,202 total of the high estimates of all lots offered.  This relatively low percentage suggests that we should expect the percentage of lots sold to also be low.  In fact it was quite high:  79%.  This is explained by the inclusion of one sale from National Book and two from Heritage.  Between them it’s common to sell more than 95% of their lots.  In this report they offered 1,611 lots and sold 96.7% of them:  1558.

Four sales reached or exceeded 100% of the total of their high estimates:

Heritage Auctions.  Illustration Art on June 27^th:  197%

Dorotheum.  Books and Decorative Prints on June 20^th:  172%

Aguttes.  Books, Ancient Documents and Stamps on June 28^th:  121%

Bruun Rasmussen.  Ancient and Modern Prints on June 25^th:  103%

For the week 3 sales reached a million dollars:

Heritage Auctions.  Illustration Art on June 27^th:  $2,647,780

Robert A Siegel Auctions.  Five printed lots among a much larger philatelic auction:  $2,190,750

Bloomsbury Auctions.   Modern and Contemporary Prints:  $1,445,555

Eight sales sold 80% or more of their listed lots:

National Book Auctions.  Books and Ephemera, Geology, Paleontology, Signatures on June 28^th:  100%

Heritage Auctions.  Illustration Art on June 27^th:  97.3%

Heritage Auctions.  Rare Books, online auction ending June 28^th:  93.3%

Bruun Rasmussen.  Ancient and Modern Prints on June 25^th:  89.7%

Dorotheum.  Books and Decorative Prints on June 20^th:  85.4%

Cowan’s Auctions.  American History ending 6/28/12:  83.1%

Bonhams.  Books on 6/26/12:  82.3%

Robert A Siegel.   Five printed lots among a much larger philatelic auction:  80%

For the week ahead 10 sales are scheduled:

Monday July 2^nd Alde.  Ancient and Modern Books [18322].  354 lots

Tuesday July 3^rd        Alde.  Library Jimmy Drulhon [19436].  247 lots

                                    Bonhams.  Entertainment Memorabilia [19800].  368 lots

Wed. July 4^th              Ader.  Ancient and Modern Books [19475].  168 lots

                                    Neret – Minet & Tessier.  Posters [13600].  503 lots

                                    Sotheby’s.  Comics [PF1224].  92 lots

Thursday July 5^th      Bloomsbury Auctions.  Bibliophile [35926]  442 lots

                                    Heritage Auctions.  Rare Books – auction ends 7/5/12.  [201227].  431 lots.

                                    PBA Galleries.  Fine Literature [483].  427 lots

Sunday July 8^th          National Book Auctions.  Books and Ephemera – Antique, Ethnology, Adirondacks, etc. [07082012].  300 lots

Summer is finally settling in.  The Euro2012 Soccer Final, completed today, is the surest sign that summer isn't coming, it has arrived and auctions, while continuing, will do so at a slower pace until September.

It has been an extraordinary first half for the book auctions, tough but exhilarating.  The rules are changing.

Bruce McKinney
AE
July 1st, 2012