Results: Christie's Americana Sales

Christie's Important American Silver Sale totaled $1.18 million with 59 lots offered and 49 selling for an 83% buy through rate. The ratio for the sale is good, yet the sold by value ratio was only 76% which shows individual lot sales on average were not strong.  Only one of the top three selling lots were over the high estimate, the other two were within the low/high estimates.

For the Important American Furniture, Folk-Art and Prints sale, Chrisite's appears to have hit their numbers better than Sotheby's.  This sale totaled $10.84 million including buyers premiums.  The sale offered 183 lots with 141 selling for respectable 77% sell through rate.  The sale sold an impressive 94% by value, which is strong given nearly a quarter of the lots failed to sell.

Where the Sotheby's sale only had one lot go over $1 million including buyers premium, the Christie's sale had two lots sell for over $2 million including buyers premiums.  The top ten lots sold between $170,500 and $2.55 million.  Nine of the top ten lots sold for over the high estimate with only one selling between the estimates.  Perhaps the Christie's estimates were more realistic than those at the Sotheby's sale.

Chrisite's reported on the sale

Andrew Holter, Head of Department, said: “Every category of the sale showed continued strength and many works were highly sought after with competitive bidding from new and established clients.  The selection of important works also presented wonderful opportunities for collectors.  Most notably, the rare and discovered works of the kneehole bureau that is signed Jonathan Townsend and the John Bartlam porcelain teabowl achieved significant prices for its important place in American history.”

Source: Christie's