Friday, October 02, 2009

Auction Report: Upcoming

- Christie's South Kensington will hold a sale of Travel, Science and Natural History items (292 lots) on 15 October. This is a neat sale, with artwork, books and artifacts all on the block. A pair of 1797 library globes made by London's Douglas Adams is expected to fetch £30,000-50,000; a silver/gilt equinoctial dial made in Madrid in 1600 could sell for £15,000-25,000; Shackleton's 1909 The Heart of the Antarctic (one of 300 sets signed by all members of the shore party and once owned by explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansso) is estimated at £12,000-18,000.

- Heritage Auction Galleries will sell rare books on 16-17 October (1037 lots). A huge sale, with some noteworthy things, including a the first volume of the first compiled edition of The Federalist in a Rivière & Son binding (est. $25,000); (you can also pick up the second volume, in a plain-but-contemporary sheep binding, for est. $20,000); a 1690 Cotton Mather Boston imprint from the library of Rev. Joshua Gee ($15,000-20,000); an inscribed copy of Casino Royale (est. $40,000). There are oodles of lower-end things in the sale too, so some bargains might be possible.

- Heritage is also selling historical manuscripts on 16-17 October (274 lots). Highlights are expected to include an 1825 Lafayette letter to Congress (est. $30,000-40,000); a John Adams presidential letter (est. $18,000-25,000); and an 1858 Abraham Lincoln letter (est. $50,000-75,000).