A cottage industry of Newport Mansions has grown up around the ABAA Book Fair in New York over the past twenty years. The leading dealers, collectors and institutions come together in April for a celebration of the passion of book collecting. New York auctions, years ago, wholesalers to the trade, today occupy an in-between place as wholesaler-retailer and fill the New York auction calendar like confetti at New Years. Dealers, institutions and collectors, like the outcasts of Poker Flat, look to cash their chips at the appointed hour. It turns out books, maps, manuscripts and ephemera are temporary repositories of value that either disappear into institutions or are sold. Auctions and dealers recycle the goods, auctions a bit more decisively. For sellers it’s often a matter of taste and connection. If three generations of Pierpont-Smith’s have disposed at Sothebys, the fourth will prefer do so. If dealers are long associated with a collection they will probably handle its dispersal. Durable connection is paramount.
Through the economic downturn material has needed to be sold. Consignors prefer outright sale to the uncertainty of the rooms but if dealer offers are insufficient or only for high points the auctions loom as a powerful alternative. Hence a dozen auctions in April.
The month has 30 days and there are 12 sales in New York, a sale every 60 hours. Of course this is misleading because the first sale is on the 6th and the last on the 29th. In this 24-day period there are 12 sales in 24 days or one every 48 hours. Even for New York, the city that never sleeps, this is a breathtaking pace.
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Peter Max, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore (Versions 1,2, 5, 6), 2001. Estimate $10,000-15,000
DOYLE: The iconic screen-used wall-mounted "M" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Estimate $5,000-8,000
DOYLE: The Mary Tyler Moore Show by Al Hirschfeld. Estimate $4,000-6,000
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Annie Leibovitz presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke for Vanity Fair. Estimate $4,000-6,000
DOYLE: Al Hirschfeld presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in the CBS Wednesday Night Lineup. Estimate $4,000-6,000
DOYLE: Richard McKenzie, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore. Estimate $1,000-2,000
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Three Original Bill Hargate Costume Designs for The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Estimate $600-800
DOYLE: The famous Bonnie and Clyde "Wanted" broadside. Estimate $500-800
DOYLE: Ticket to the Final Episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show Estimate $400-600
Sotheby's Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
5-19 June
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Bissière, Roger. Cantique à notre frère soleil de saint François. 1954. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. La vie & l’œuvre de Philippe Ignace Semmelweis. 1924. Rare édition originale, avec envoi. Joint : La Quinine en thérapeutique, 1925. 4,000 - 6,000 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. Mort à crédit. 1936. Édition originale. Bel exemplaire sur Hollande. 2,500 - 3,500 EUR
Sotheby's Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
5-19 June
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Chillida, Eduardo ─ Emil Cioran. Face aux instants. 1985. Un des 100 exemplaires sur Arches. Eau-forte signée. 600 - 800 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. Ler dla canpane. L’Art Brut, 1948. Édition originale. 3,000 - 5,000 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. L'Herne Jean Dubuffet. 1973. Un des 100 exemplaires du tirage de luxe avec une sérigraphie originale en couleurs. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
Gros & Delettrez Livres & Manuscrits Arméniens Jeudi 12 juin 2025 Paris, Francis
Gros & Delettrez, June 12: BIBLE, Venise 1733, reliure arménienne
Gros & Delettrez, June 12: CHARAKNOTS, manuscrit XVIIe-XVIIIe siècle
