The results of the Photographs & Photobooks sale at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury last week in London were predictably soft, with a Buy-In rate that came in over 50% and Total Sale Proceeds that missed the low end of the pre-sale estimate range. More than a few positive surprises kept the search for inexpensive deals interesting.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 273 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | £381100 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | £533500 |
| Total Lots Sold | 129 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 144 |
| Buy In % | 52.75% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | £242685 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 260 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 124 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 136 |
| Low Buy In % | 52.31% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | £378500 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | £193085 |
| Mid Total Lots | 13 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 5 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 8 |
| Mid Buy In % | 61.54% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | £155000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | £49600 |
| 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 | NA |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 89, Robert Rauschenberg, Cracked Surface and Rivets I (from the Bleacher series), 1989, estimated at £20000-25000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 210, Nobuyoshi Araki, Untitled (Watermelon) from Colourscapes, 1991/2007, estimated at £12000-15000, sold at £14880.
82.17% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 8 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):
Lot 2, Philip Klier, Album from India, Burma, and elsewhere, 1880-1920, estimated at £400-600, sold at £1240
Lot 7, Frank Sutcliffe, Fisher Folk, 1885, estimated at £200-300, sold at £682
Lot 16, Eadweard Muybridge, Double Amputation of Thighs, Boy, Plate 538, 1887, estimated at £400-600, sold at £1240
Lot 61, Robert Doisneau, Le Velo de Tati, 1949/later, estimated at £1800-2000, sold at £5952 (image above, right, via Dreweatts)
Lot 123, Lewis Morley, Christine Keeler, 1963/1995, estimated at £2000-3000, sold at £14260 (image above, left, via Dreweatts)
Lot 133, Elliott Erwitt, Cannes, France, 1975, estimated at £800-1200, sold at £3224
Lot 165, Martin Parr, Jubilee Street Party, Elland, 1977, estimated at £800-1200, sold at £2976 (image above, middle, via Dreweatts)
Lot 262, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Dioramas, Theaters, Seascapes, 1988, estimated at £600-800, sold at £1984
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
