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Description:
CHRISTIE'S EXPLORATION / TRAVEL & POLAR SALE 9/27/06 LONDON SALE 7261,308 PAGES,234 LOTS,NEW CONDITION!
Ninety Antarctic lots comprised this sale, 20 of which did not sell. Lot 225 (the Hurley photographs,see pictures) fetched the highest bid, £120,000, nearly 4 times the low estimate. The next highest were the Amundsen photographs (208) which sold at £78,000. (All prices include the buyer's premium.) The least expensive lot was 213 which went for £420 (a Nansen title). The greatest differential between estimate and price was lot 206, Amundsen's sledging medical kit. It was estimated at between £1000 and £2000 but brought £18,000.
The Antarctic lots in this catalogue are 144-234.The following are some highlights (prices realized, including buyer's premium, in bold):
149. Pastel and watercolor portrait of James Clark Ross. Rather amateurish looking but described as "the earliest portrait of the polar explorer." Estimate £6,000-8,000. Did not sell
162. Michael Barnes' World Atlas "with his ink annotations." Only of interest to me because I saw this last year at Sotherans. Thought about it but passed. Estimate £700-1,000. £1,560
171. Gregory Robinson's large watercolor of The Nimrod under tow from the Koonya. Appearing for at least the third time in recent sales. Estimate £7,000-10,000. Its estimate in the 21 September 2005 sale was £10,000-15,000 and it did not sell. It sold at the 17 September 1999 for £8,625 including premium. Did not sell. Expect we'll see it again.
173. Marston oil painting "Aurora Australis." Of interest because it's painted on venesta board and the back of the painting has stenciled lettering. This is the same material used for binding the book "Aurora Australis." Estimate £15,000-20,000. £19,200
181. "Aurora Australis," Antarctica's first book. "Presented to Mr. Charls Cooper / by one of the Printers / Ernest E. Joyce / May 12th 1910." £30,000-40,000. A copy sold in March for £53,000 including premium (see below). At Christie's a year ago, a copy brought £30,000 including premium, and at the Discovery Book Auctions sale of 14 September 2005, a better copy fetched $53,438 (see below). £33,600
201-220. Lots consigned by Anne-Christine Jacobsen, Roald Amundsen's Great-Niece. Of interest to me because I and some other Antarcticans saw some of these items when we enjoyed a memorable dinner at her house in Oslo. I will be watching closely to see what Lot 215 fetches: "Amundsen's bayonet carried on the Lincoln Ellsworth expedition 1925-26 . . . used by Amundsen to build the 500 meter long and 12 meter wide runway on the ice for the N25 in June 1925." I have a smaller knife that Amundsen gave Ellsworth and in Ellsworth's hand he writes that they used it to fashion the runway. Estimate £500-1,000. Did not sell
208. The Amundsen Photographs. 250 "direct positive glass lantern slides" which were the subject of Roland Huntford's book, "The Amundsen Photographs." These involve three expeditions: Northwest Passage, South Pole and Maud. Estimate: £30,000-50,000. The highest estimate in the Antarctic section of the sale. £78,000
222. Amundsen's "Sydpolen," in the original 40 parts, uncut and unopened. Estimate £5,000-7,000. £5,040
225. An album of Hurley photographs given by Shackleton to Janet Stancomb Wills, a key sponsor. Seventy-nine gelatin silver prints. Estimate: £25,000-35,000. £120,000
233. Admiral Byrd's Inuit fur-lined anorak. Of interest here because it just sold at an auction not far from me on 25 May 2006 (see below), fetching $3,850. Estimate £6,000-8,000. If it reaches its estimate this will be a decent return on investment. £6,600. Indeed, a good return.
| Status: For Sale |
Reference#: _7261_ |
| Condition:
New |
Year:
2006
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