Saturday, April 12, 2008

Auction Report: Bloomsbury

I almost forgot to note the results of Bloomsbury NY's 9 April American Civil War sale. Hammer prices are listed here, in a really nice new printable summary which shows the title of each lot, the estimates, and the realized price not including premium (now if it would only link to the detailed descriptions ...).

The top seller was, as expected, the Alexander Gardner photograph album, which fetched $130,000 (the low end of its estimate). Some other notable results:

- A large chromolithographed poster advertising a stage performance of Uncle Tom's Cabin from around the 1890s sold for $9000, more than twice its estimate.

- The 1861 facsimile broadside of South Carolina's act of secession made $42,000, well over the expected $30,000.

- Convention delegate Lyman Gibbons' copy of the final Confederate Constitution sold for $50,000 (just into the low end of its estimate range).

- A letter from Lafayette C. Baker to historian Benton Lossing enclosing photographs of four men wanted in connection with the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln (with the photographs) made $12,000, beating its $3,000 high estimate handily.