Auction Results: The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, October 3, 2017 @Phillips

The results of the third selection of photographic works from Howard Stein’s Joy of Giving Something Foundation were predictably more mixed, but generally solid. With fewer top tier lots, the weight of the sale fell on the stronger mid and low sections of the sale, which performed admirably. The unevenness came in the range of outcomes, with nearly 35% of the lots that sold finding buyers below their estimate ranges, balanced by a total of 16 positive surprises to push the pendulum the other way. When the dust settled, the Total Sale Proceeds fell in middle of the aggregate pre-sale range.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Summary Statistics
Total Lots 229
Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate $2829500
Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate $4205000
Total Lots Sold 191
Total Lots Bought In 38
Buy In % 16.59%
Total Sale Proceeds $3636750

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 87
Total Low Lots Bought In 17
Low Buy In % 16.35%
Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots $753000
Total Proceeds from Low Lots $673125
Mid Total Lots 115
Total Mid Lots Sold 96
Total Mid Lots Bought In 19
Mid Buy In % 16.52%
Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots $2642000
Total Proceeds from Mid Lots $2387375
Total High Lots 10
Total High Lots Sold 8
Total High Lots Bought In 2
High Buy In % 20.00%
Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots $810000
Total Proceeds from High Lots $576250

The top lot by High estimate is lot 65, Alfred Stieglitz, ed., Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly, Numbers 2-50, 1903-1917, estimated at $100000-150000 (image in preview post); it was also the top outcome of the sale at $131250.

Only 65.45% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, but 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 Phillips):

Lot 22, László Moholy-Nagy, Self-Portrait, 1925, estimated at $30000-50000, sold at $112500

Lot 38, Roy DeCarava, Edna Smith, 1955, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $30000

Lot 48, E. O. Hoppé, Stahlwerke Hösch, Dortmund, Germany, 1928, estimated at $3000-5000, sold at $13750

Lot 63, Tina Modotti, Hammock, c1926, estimated at $15000-25000, sold at $60000

Lot 75, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Portrait of Arthur Wesley Dow, 1903, estimated at $12000-18000, sold at $62500

Lot 93, Auguste Mestral, Sculpture of St. Denis, Notre Dame, Paris, c1853, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $35000

Lot 94, William Henry Fox Talbot, Loch Katrine Pier, Scene of the Lady of the Lake, 1844, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $37500

Lot 112, Captain Linneaus Tripe, Sculpture Study, Central Museum, Madras and The Pagoda Jewels, Madura, 1858-1859, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $23750

Lot 117, Baron Louis Adolphe Humbert de Molard, Sorting Beans: A Group of Argentelle; Standing, Louis Dodier, 1848, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $97500

Lot 134, Albert Sands Southworth & Josiah Johnson Hawes, A Woman in Bonnet & Shawl, with Her Seated Son, c1850, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $35000

Lot 149, Clifford Ross, Wave I, 1997, estimated at $7000-9000, sold at $22500

Lot 155, Michael Kenna, Swings, Catskill Mountains, New York, 1977/1987, estimated at $2000-3000, sold at $7500

Lot 190, Erich Salomon, Selected Press Images (4), 1930-1935, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $16250

Lot 194, Dinh Q. Lê, Persistence of Memory #10, 2000-2001, estimated at $8000-12000, sold at $27500

Lot 202, Todd Hido, Selected Images from House Hunting (26), 1997-2000, estimated at $10000-15000, sold at $36250

Lot 213, James Welling, Selected Images from Drapes (3), 1981, estimated at $6000-8000, sold at $20000

The complete lot by lot results can be found here.

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Read more about: Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Auguste Mestral, Clifford Ross, Dinh Q. Lê, E.O. Hoppé, Erich Salomon, James Welling, László Moholy-Nagy, Linnaeus Tripe, Louis-Adolphe Humbert de Molard, Michael Kenna, Roy DeCarava, Tina Modotti, Todd Hido, William Henry Fox Talbot, Phillips

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