Rare Book Monthly

Articles - May - 2007 Issue

Business as Unusual: the Frank Streeter Sale

Frank Streeter at his father's sale

Frank Streeter at his father's sale


By Bruce McKinney

Commencing Monday evening, April 16th, and continuing Tuesday, the 17th, Christies, in New York, orchestrated an immensely successful sale of the Frank S. Streeter Library including important navigation, Pacific voyages, cartography and science. The sale yielded $16,421,820 and dozens of broken hearts. Neither the auction house nor the consignors were among the unhappy. The aggregate low estimate gave hope to all though it turned out three times that number would be the average result: almost $30,000 a lot. As happens from time to time, exceptional material and timing combine with thorough description to produce a perfect storm of bidding. Such was how it was over this auction's three memorable sessions. We were in New York for the run-up and sale and both here (hi) or here (low), and at the end of this article, provide links to a 10 minute film about it. Comparison of material purchased at the Thomas Streeter sales in the late 1960s and resold here, as well as material purchased at the Penrose sale in 1971 and resold here are separately provided at the end of this 1,658 word article.

By our estimate more than a hundred individuals raised their paddles in the room, bid by phone, left order bids to be executed by the house and bid on-line. At the first session we counted 102 hopefuls, well-wishers and curious in the auction room [not including Christie's extensive staff] and in the second session Tuesday morning an ebb and flow crowd of about 85. Even as late as lot 492 in the third and final session 46 remained. Even those who either didn't bid or win seemed happy: a reminder of why book prices are written in pencil.

The occasion was memorable for many reasons. Frank Streeter is the son of Thomas Streeter, one of the most famous American book collectors of the 20th century. The father's collection, 4,421 lots in seven parts was sold by Parke-Bernet in 1966-1969 and brought the then exceptional total of $3,104,982, an amount about equal to the buyer's premium at his son's sale of 552 lots: $2,702,970. Times have changed.

In the late 1960's auction houses primarily sold to dealers and dealers often stepped aside to let their brethren buy advantageously. In his time Thomas Streeter countered this strategy with his own, providing generous stipends to libraries to contend with dealers for material. In doing so he followed the strategy of George Brinley who, in the 19th century, sent his collection of 9,450 lots to auction at Geo. A. Leavitt & Co. in New York while providing funds for bidding to a wide group of institutions.

No such inducements to bid were needed this time. Auction houses now carefully describe, provide help and advice and occasional extended terms. As a result, for great material, auction houses now regularly attract bidders from around the world.

Rare Book Monthly

  • DOYLE
    Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
    July 23, 2025
    DOYLE, July 23: WALL, BERNHARDT. Greenwich Village. Types, Tenements & Temples. Estimate $300-500
    DOYLE, July 23: STOKES, I. N. PHELPS. The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1915-28. Estimate: $3,000-5,000
    DOYLE, July 23: [AUTOGRAPH - US PRESIDENT]FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. A signed photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Estimate $500-800
    DOYLE, July 23: [ARION PRESS]. ABBOTT, EDWIN A. Flatland. A Romance of Many Dimensions. San Francisco, 1980. Estimate $2,000-3,000.
    DOYLE, July 23: TOLSTOY, LYOF N. and NATHAN HASKELL DOLE, translator. Anna Karénina ... in eight parts. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., [1886]. Estimate: $400-600
    DOYLE, July 23: ROWLING, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000. Estimate $1,200-1,800
  • Freeman’s | Hindman
    Western Manuscripts and Miniatures
    July 8, 2025
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. FRANCESCO PETRARCH (b. Arezzo, 20 July 1304; d. Arqua Petrarca, 19 July 1374). $20,000-30,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF THE VITAE IMPERATORUM (active Milan, 1431-1459). $15,000-20,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF ATTAVANTE DEGLI ATTAVANTI (GABRIELLO DI VANTE) (active Florence, c. 1452-c. 1520/25). $15,000-20,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. FOLLOWER OF HERMAN SCHEERE (active London, c. 1405-1425). $15,000-20,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. An exceptionally rare, illuminated music leaf from a Mozarabic Antiphonal with sister leaves mostly in museum collections. $11,500-14,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. Exceptional leaf from a prestigious Antiphonary by a leading illuminator of the late Duecento. $11,500-14,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF MS REID 33 and SELWERD ABBEY SCRIPTORIUM (AGNES MARTINI?) (active The Netherlands, Groningen, c. 1468-1510). $10,000-15,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. Previously unknown illumination from one of the most renowned Gothic Choir Book sets of the Middle Ages. $6,000-8,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern
    Now through July 10, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Book of Hours by the Masters of Otto van Moerdrecht, Use of Sarum, in Latin, Southern Netherlands (Bruges), c.1450. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Albert Einstein. Autograph letter signed, to Attilio Palatino, on his research into General Relativity, 12 May 1929. £12,000 to £18,000.
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: John Gould. The Birds of Europe, [1832-] 1837, 5 volumes, contemporary half morocco, subscriber’s copy. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern
    Now through July 10, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Ian Fleming. A collection of James Bond first editions, 8 volumes in all. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue. £50,000 to £70,000.
    Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: J.R.R. Tolkien. Autograph letter signed, to Amy Ronald, on Pauline Baynes's map of Middle Earth, 1970. £7,000 to £10,000.
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