Drawn from the collection of gallery owner Peter Fetterman, this sale of western landscape material (heavy on the work of Ansel Adams) generally performed to expectations. A Moonrise print by Adams took the top lot honors, and a reasonable Buy-In rate (of 22%) kept the Total Sale Proceeds tally (of roughly $650K) squarely in the middle of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 50 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $523500 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $770500 |
| Total Lots Sold | 39 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 11 |
| Buy In % | 22.00% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $649026 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 30 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 25 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 5 |
| Low Buy In % | 16.67% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $186500 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $195426 |
| Mid Total Lots | 18 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 12 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 6 |
| Mid Buy In % | 33.33% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $454000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $283500 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 2 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 0 |
| High Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $130000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $170100 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 6, Ansel Adams, Portfolio IV, What Majestic Word: In Memory of Russell Varian, 1963, estimated at $50000-70000; it found a buyer at $75600, but it wasn’t the top outcome of the sale. That honor went to lot 2, Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941/1973-1977, estimated at $40000-60000, sold at $94500 (image above, via Christie’s.)
97.44% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 2 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Christie’s):
Lot 40, Edward Curtis, The Three Chiefs – Piegan, 1900, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $16380
Lot 48, Edward Curtis, Chief Garfield, Jicarilla and Bread, Apsaroke, 1904, 1908, estimated at $1500-2500, sold at $5040
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
