Rare Book Monthly

Articles - January - 2020 Issue

Time for the Annual Rare Book Hub Top 500 Prices at Auction for 2019

Moo-Reese, the Wild Things cow, decorated by Maurice (Moo-Reese) Sendak.

Another year has come to an end, meaning it is time to look back at the the annual Rare Book Hub Top 500 prices achieved at auction during the previous year. We cover sales of books, manuscripts, and various other sorts of works on paper. For an explanation of what sort is in and which is out for this list, please see the explanation at the end of this article.

 

What we have noticed over the years, and the trend continues, is more high dollar purchases of paper outside the realm of traditional books and manuscripts. Here are two that jump out – comic books (including their original artwork) and baseball cards. Comics aren't surprising. Their popularity has become enormous over the past few years, particularly those featuring fantasy superheroes. The success of comic shows attests to that, though some feel that may be getting slightly softer. Baseball cards is a bit harder to understand, since interest in baseball, particularly compared to football and basketball, seems to be waning. Nonetheless, the third most appearances in the Top 500 went to Mickey Mantle, whose card shows up nine times on the list. Right behind him is Babe Ruth with eight. Derek Jeter even made the list for the first time, as did current football quarterback Tom Brady, while from basketball, the still active Lebron James shows up twice.

 

Still, the most appearances finally went to the runner-up of the past couple years, John James Audubon. He appeared 16 times, it being mostly for individual plates taken from his double elephant folio first edition of the The Birds of America that regularly sell for five and six figures each. In second, with 10 appearances, was scientist Charles Darwin. Then came Mickey, followed by Ruth, who was tied with French surrealist poet Paul Eluard with eight. Eluard was something of a surprise with so many appearances, as was French writer Blaise Cendrars and Russian Alexander Pushkin with seven each. For comparison, more traditional leading authors Charles Dickens appears six times, Shakespeare five.

 

I don't know whether there is any political significance to this, but last year's leader with 13, Karl Marx, showed up just once, and even that was at a modest #493. Those who prefer capitalism to Marxism will be pleased that he was trounced by Adam Smith, who had six entries. For modernists, J. K. Rowling and her only two decades-old Harry Potter books made the list four times.

 

The leader from two and three years ago is still on the list, but no longer at the top. French cartoonist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé, did still manage five appearances. A couple of American comic artists joined him with five, Frank Frazetta and Jack Kirby. Also with five was a real person with mental powers beyond even those of any imaginary superhero – Albert Einstein.

 

Here Are a few items from the list, followed by the complete Top 10 and a link to the full Top 500.

 

403. One of only two non-paper items included (though it is accompanied by a book), “Moo-Reese,” a cow sculpture from Maurice Sendak, decorated with “Wild Thing” drawings (pictured with this article). $93,750.

 

358. From the softer side of Western legend “Wild Bill” Hickok, a letter to his wife reading, “Would I not like to put my big hands on your shoulders and kiss your smile now... One thousand kisses to my wife Agnes From your ever loving Husband. JB Hickok Wild Bill. By By.” That is sweet. $100,000.

 

249. Fifty-three years ago, the consignor pulled this poster down from a telephone pole. Now look what it's worth. The poster was for the Beatles' appearance at Shea Stadium in New York on August 23, 1966. $125,000.

 

190. This one increased in value even faster. It is an inscribed, first edition, first issue of the first Harry Potter book, just 22 years old. $150,000.

 

113. A letter from Western outlaw Jesse James, demanding a retraction from a man who accused him of stealing a horse, warning, “if you value your life you had better retrace your Slander.” Horse thief was one of the nicer things people called Jesse James. $212,575.

 

And, the Top 10.

 

10. Arcano de Mare, by Sir Robert Dudley, a later edition published in 1661. Dudley was a navigator and his book was a masterpiece, the first maritime atlas to cover the entire world. Dudley's father was the Duke of Northumberland, but Dudley was not so recognized because he was an illegitimate son, so he left England for Tuscany, never to return. $969,850.

 

9. The Declaration of Independence, the celebrated William Stone 1824 facsimile, the only known copy still in private hands. $975,000.

 

8. The Wizard of Oz, not the book, but an in-depth archive of material relating to the production of the film adaptation. From 1939. $1,000,000.

 

7. Les Aventures de Tintin, Tome 1 Tintin au Pays de Soviets, by Hergé, from 1930. This is Hergé's original signed cover art. $1,125,000.

 

6. Biblia Latina, a two-volume bible published in 1462 by Johann Fust and Peter Schoffer, just seven years after Gutenberg's bible. Fust and Schoffer were Gutenberg's successors. $1,155,834.

 

5. Somma di arithmetica, geometria, proporzioni e proporzionalità by Luca Pacioli, published in 1494. A work of enormous mathematical importance, particularly for accounting and business, but also for the arts. Pacioli was influential on, and a collaborator with, Leonardo da Vinci. $1,215,000.

 

4. Marvel Comics #1, the one that started it all, published in 1939. Rated 9.4, it is by far in the best condition of any known copy of Marvel #1. It comes with the “Windy City pedigree,” meaning it was originally purchased by a Chicago mailman who bought first editions of numerous comics when they were first issued. $1,260,000.

 

3. The original artwork for the Egyptian Queen, which first appeared on the cover of Eerie Magazine in 1969. The artist is Frank Frazetta, who is regarded as being at the top of the fantasy comics artists. $5,400,000.

 

2. The Birds of America by John James Audubon, the double elephant folio first edition published from 1827-1838. This is not a rare book, there being an estimated 120 copies still around, but Audubon's drawings make it perhaps the most desirable. Last year and in 2010, it was #1 on the list, in 2112 #2, in 2014 #4. It has sold for over $1 million at least 11 times since 1984. $6,642,400.

 

1. The Olympic Manifesto, by Pierre de Coubertin. This is a 14-page autograph manuscript from the man credited with bringing the ancient Greek Olympics back to modern times. From 1892. This one caught everyone by surprise, even auction house Sotheby's, that estimated it would sell for $700,000 - $1,000,000. That is not peanuts, but it ended up going for... $8,806,500.

 

The complete Top 500 can be found at this link: click here.

 

*Note: Viewing the Top 500 list does not require signing in or being a member. Viewing individual lot descriptions requires being signed in at any membership level, including free. You can sign up for any membership level by clicking this link.

 

**Note on what is included: When determining what sort of paper to include in this list, most is obvious, such as books, manuscripts, and maps. Others are trickier, prints and photographs in particular. We include those that came from books, such as the Audubon plates. For others, we try to include prints and photographs that are of some historic significance, while excluding those that are strictly art. It can at times be a fine line. If we had included art prints, Andy Warhol would have had an astonishing 64 items on this list, eliminating many traditional works. This was also the year of major arrival for Banksy, he of the quote “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit.” Believe it, Banksy. He would have appeared nine times.

 

The growth in baseball and other sports cards has been phenomenal the last few years and at some point we may want to reconsider their inclusion. The same is true for comics, or at least their original artwork, which now spreads through the list. These were logical inclusions when the original art was for traditional books, from artists such as E. H. Shepard, Rockwell Kent, and Arthur Rackham. No more. They have been replaced by comic book illustrators. Nevertheless, we are including them as it provides a window on where the market is today in the field of works on paper.

 

***Final Note. We try to include everything, but it is possible that we missed something that belonged here, either because it slipped our attention or results were not made available on time. We apologize if we have left something out.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

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