06-01-2012 – 01-01-1970
New York Book Sale 123
Kolbe & Fanning’s characterization of their January 7, 2012 New York Book Sale as “Small but Mighty” has turned out to be quite apt. Of the 350 lots in the sale, 305 sold for a total of $514,000, or an average price per lot of nearly $1700 (all prices cited herein include the 15% buyer premium). Prices achieved ran from $144 to $40,250, the latter amount realized by two consecutive lots, the inventory of the Colonel E.H.R. Green coin collection and a set of three volumes of photographs depicting his fabled collections of U.S. gold quarter eagles, half eagles, and eagles.
Other sale highlights include:
- Dr. Jacob Hirsh’s unique annotated set of 164 proof plates depicting the original Pozzi collection of ancient Greek coins, which sold for $11,500
- Thomas Jefferson’s remarkable 1790 Report on the Weights, Measures and Coins of the United States, a foundational document in American numismatics, which realized $16,100
- A remarkable archive of over 100 White proof bank notes from the Russian Civil War, which brought triple estimate or $25,875
- A nice example of the first printed book, Guillaume Budé’s landmark 1514 De asse et partibus eius, which was hammered at $13,800
- A spectacular Bureau of Engraving and Printing Vignette Book, in a deluxe binding featuring well over 200 steel-plate printed BEP portraits and vignettes, which sold for $13,800
- An exceptional, complete set of Visconti and Mongez’s massive and “glorious” 1808-26 Iconographie grecque et romaine, which realized $11,500
- Over two dozen original plated Chapman brother sales, mostly in excellent condition, generally produced excellent results
- A small selection of rare Russian numismatic works by and large brought prices well in excess of their estimates
- A delightful 1720 manuscript on coin collecting by David Jennings sold for $5,462
- Rare works and manuscripts on American colonial numismatics, several from the library of George C. Perkins, generally produced strong results.
Full color illustrated catalogues are still available and may be obtained by sending $35 to: KOLBE & FANNING NUMISMATIC BOOKSELLERS LLC, 141 W JOHNSTOWN ROAD, GAHANNA OH 43230-2700.
Plans are already being made for Kolbe & Fanning’s January 2013 New York Book Sale, to be held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in conjunction with the 41st New York International Numismatic Convention. It is not too soon to consider consigning outstanding works to the 2013 New York Book Sale or to other Kolbe & Fanning sales, currently scheduled for June 7th and October 4th, 2012.
Contact details are provided at Kolbe & Fannings’ website.