Phillips dipped its toe into the French auction market for photographs last week with a modest sale of Paris-themed imagery. The results were uneventful, with a later print by Henri Cartier-Bresson taking the top lot honors. The overall Buy-In rate came in at roughly 30% and there were no positive surprises, leading to Total Sale Proceeds (of roughly €230K) that came in below 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 | 66 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €290000 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €443000 |
| Total Lots Sold | 46 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 20 |
| Buy In % | 30.30% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €230505 |
Here is the breakdown (using our typical Low, Mid, and High definitions):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 59 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 42 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 17 |
| Low Buy In % | 28.81% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €276000 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €167005 |
| Mid Total Lots | 7 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 4 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 3 |
| Mid Buy In % | 42.86% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €167000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €63500 |
| 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 15, Melvin Sokolsky, Paris (12 prints), 1963/1996, estimated at €30000-50000; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rue Mouffetard, Paris, 1954/later, estimated at €20000-30000, sold at €21590 (image above via Phillips).
93.48% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were no positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate).
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
