Just a few more positive outcomes would have pulled the overall results of the recent 70th anniversary sale at Swann up into the aggregate estimate range and given the celebratory sale a bit more pizazz. But as it was, the top lot Sally Mann portraits failed to sell, and with less positive surprises than usual and an overall Buy-In rate over 27%, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly $930K) came in just below the low end of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 250 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $1005600 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $1491750 |
| Total Lots Sold | 182 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 68 |
| Buy In % | 27.20% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $932931 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High price range definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 228 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 169 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 59 |
| Low Buy In % | 25.88% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $1015750 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $703206 |
| Mid Total Lots | 22 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 13 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 9 |
| Mid Buy In % | 40.91% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $476000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $229725 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $0 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 250, Sally Mann, Untitled (self-portraits), 2011, estimated at $30000-45000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 146 Lisette Model, Twelve Photographs (portfolio), 1937-1946/1977, estimated at $12000-18000, sold at $32500 (image above, via Swann).
80.22% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 7 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above via Swann):
Lot 11, John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall, Portrait of Karl Marx, c1875/c1910, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $12500
Lot 14, Williamson Brothers, Group of 5 daguerreotypes, 1856-1859, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $4500
Lot 18, Thomas H. Johnson, A set of 5 Delaware & Hudson Canal Views, 1860-1871, estimated at $5000-7500, sold at $21250
Lot 78, Consuelo Kanaga, Portrait of Berenice Abbott (with camera), 1935/1960s, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $8125
Lot 94, Gordon Parks, American Gothic, Washington D.C., 1942/1990s, estimated at $5000-7500, sold at $18750
Lot 110, (China-Shanghai), Album of over 500 photographs, 1928-1937, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $6000
Lot 148, NASA, Group of 23 photographs, 1969, 1971-72, estimated at $1000-1500, sold at $11875
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
