The results from the recent photography sale at Millon in Paris were largely uneventful. An anonymous 19th travel album took the top lot honors, and there were a number of lower priced positive surprises, but not enough to compensate for an overall Buy-In rate above 45%. In the end, the Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €250K) fell just above 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 | 231 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €243950 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €342150 |
| Total Lots Sold | 126 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 105 |
| Buy In % | 45.45% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €251038 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 227 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 125 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 102 |
| Low Buy In % | 44.93% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €290150 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €236038 |
| Mid Total Lots | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 1 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 3 |
| Mid Buy In % | 75.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €52000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €15000 |
| 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 484, Thomas Demand, Lift, 2005, estimated at €10000-20000; it sold at €15000, but it was not the top outcome of the sale. That honor went to lot 287, Album de photographies primitives, Italie, France, Allemagne et Brésil (36 prints), c1850, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €22500 (image above, via Millon).
97.62% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 15 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate); listed below are the 10 of those surprises that found buyers at prices of €2000 or above (images above, via Millon):
Lot 287, Album de photographies primitives, Italie, France, Allemagne et Brésil (36 prints), c1850, estimated at €4000-6000, sold at €22500
Lot 288, Henri Bevan, Ensemble de 17 albums : France, Jersey, Belgique, Italie, Espagne, Grèce, Corfou, Constantinople, Egypte, c1865-1889, estimated at €2500-3500, sold at €10000
Lot 308, Auguste Francois, Chine, Yunnan (39 glass negatives), 1896-1904, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €6250
Lot 384, Brassaï, Les mauvais garçons, 1933, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €10625
Lot 439, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, El Ensueño (Daydreaming), Mexico, 1931/c1970, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €11250
Lot 441, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, La Buena Fama Durmiendo (Good Reputation, Sleeping), 1939/later, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €5625
Lot 447, Malick Sidibé, Nuit de Noël, 1963/later, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €3125
Lot 466, Édouard Boubat, La poule et l’arbre, Sud de la France, 1950/later, estimated at €400-600, sold at €3125
Lot 492, Ellen Von Unwerth, Two Icons, Linda and Christy, Cannes, 1990, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €2125
Lot 499, Nan Goldin, Volcano, Stromboli, Italie, 1998, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €3750
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
