The results of the recent photography sale at Swann Galleries were admirably solid. The top lot Ansel Adams sold in the range, the overall Buy-In rate was respectable (at roughly 25%), there were less sales below the estimate range than usual (only 16%), and there were plenty of positive surprises in the offerings of both the fine and vernacular photographs to keep things interesting. When it was all tallied up, the Total Sale Proceeds fell safely into the middle of the pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 268 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $1457200 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $2147900 |
| Total Lots Sold | 200 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 68 |
| Buy In % | 25.37% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $1640196 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 231 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 172 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 59 |
| Low Buy In % | 25.54% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $1030900 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $750746 |
| Mid Total Lots | 35 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 26 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 9 |
| Mid Buy In % | 25.71% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $757000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $587200 |
| 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 | $360000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $302250 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 99, Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941/early or mid 1950s, estimated at $200000-300000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at $221000 (image in preview post).
84.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 16 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Swann):
Lot 6, Eadweard Muybridge, Cottonwood Bend, Valley of the Yosemite, No. 15, 1872, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $25000
Lot 16, Group of approximately 250 photographs of the Philippines relating to Dean Worcester’s political ideology, 1902-1912, estimated at $5000-7500, sold at $18750
Lot 51, Alexander Rodchenko, Portfolio entitled Fotografien und Fotomontagen, 1979, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $6760
Lot 61, Judaica/World War II, Album with 168 carefully composed photographs in occupied Poland by a Nazi photographer, 1941, estimated at $1200-1800, sold at $4500
Lot 122, Cornell Capa, Hebrew lesson, Brooklyn, New York, 1955/1970s, estimated at $1800-2200, sold at $5250
Lot 127, Danny Lyon, Mary (Colombia), 1972, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $6000
Lot 253, Edward Emerson Barnard, A Photographic Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way. Parts I & II., 1927, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $17500
From the vernacular photography section, Lot 214, Anonymous, Lot 218, Aviation, Lot 231, Coal, Lot 232, Gulf Oil – Kentucky, Lot 234, Ku Klux Klan – Ohio, Lot 242, Trailer Park, Lot 243, Television – American Bandstand, Lot 245, Male Nudes – Scrapbooking, and Lot 246, Mexican Cinema were also positive surprises.
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
