The results of Swann’s various owner photographs sale earlier this week were quietly respectable, with the Total Sale Proceeds falling in the middle of the aggregate pre-sale estimate range. With an overall Buy-In rate under 25% and a handful of positive surprises, it was a solid outcome for an early season sale.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 138 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | $926500 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | $1360000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 104 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 34 |
| Buy In % | 24.64% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | $1006365 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 104 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 81 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 23 |
| Low Buy In % | 22.12% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | $650000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | $575340 |
| Mid Total Lots | 32 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 22 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 10 |
| Mid Buy In % | 31.25% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | $535000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | $353025 |
| Total High Lots | 2 |
| Total High Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total High Lots Bought In | 1 |
| High Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | $175000 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | $78000 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 22, Edward Curtis, The North American Indian, Portfolio #1, 1907, at $70000-100000; it was also the top outcome of the sale at $78000.
78.85% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 6 surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 8, (China), Collection of carte-de-viste portraits, 1860s-1870s, estimated at $6000-9000, sold at $60000 (image at right, top, via Swann)
Lot 9, (China), Group of 14 prints, 1875-1876, estimated at $7000-10000, sold at $28800
Lot 11, (Korea), Album, 1899, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $20400 (image at right, middle, via Swann)
Lot 29, (Crime), Warden’s Book, 1917, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $13200
Lot 77, Eugene Smith, Walk to Paradise Garden, 1946/1972, estimated at $4000-6000, sold at $16800
Lot 124, Elliot Erwitt, Versailles, 1975/1990s, estimated at $2500-3500, sold at $7200
Complete lot by lot results can be found linked from here.
