THE WEEK THAT WAS AT THE AUCTIONS ending Oct. 17, 2025 

By Hammer_Price

Free Link https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_updates/1008

(Note to reader: The summary link above is FREE, the additional links below will function only for RBH subscribers. Results priced in $ £ €  )

Ninety-one auctions were archived by Rare Book Hub For the week ended Oct. 17. Turnover was $47,128,357. The average lot brought $2,728. 

The week brought a strong showing for photography especially at the Christie’s Photography sale. Top lot of the week was a 1494 Columbus letter which sold at Christie’s Fine Printed Books and Manuscript sale for $1,651,000 on Oct. 16. (Scroll down for more details on this item.) Christies also dominated many of the items we liked.

Eight auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars:

Heritage Auctions. GACC US Currency Signature Auction on October 10th: $11,629,098

Christie’s. Spellbound: The Hegewisch Collection, Part I on October 16th: $6,472,246

Christie’s. Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts including Americana on October 16th: $5,403,342

Christie’s. Photographs on October 10th: $3,591,814

Heritage Auctions. World Paper Money Signature Auction on October 16th: $2,083,801

Rago Arts and Auctions. Prints and Multiples on October 15th: $1,756,944

Swann Galleries. Fine Photographs on October 16th: $1,507,634

Propstore. Collectible Posters Live Auction - Day 1 - Los Angeles Fall 2025 on October 10th: $1,047,501 

Some highlights from the week: The majority of the text in the notes is taken directly from the individual auction catalogs, with an occasional comment added for RBH readers.

Our mystery lot of the week was Victor Hugo estimated at €5,000 and sold for €182,000

These are our other highlights:

Goya complete set of Caprichios

Seven hand drawn Gettysburg maps by Gen. Abner Doubleday

Gordon Parks photo American Gothic

NickBrandt’s Cheetah photo up $20K from last sale a very short time

2 important Frederick Douglass items - one at Christie's, one at Fleischer’s

Columbus letter 1494- top lot of the week

Steve McCurry children portfolio 2010 - 10 images

Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius,Venice 1610 

Albrecht Durer engraving 1513 Knight Death and the Devil

1930 Hell’s Angel color 3-sheet movie poster Jean Harlow/Howard Hughes producer, 

De animalibus, Aristotle, 1st biology text,1476, Venice

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1. Goya complete set of Los 
Caprichos, Madrid 1799 sold for
 £190,500 ($256,089) atChristie’s 
on Oct. 16. 

Francisco de Goya Y Lucientes (1746-1828) Los Caprichos the complete set of eighty etchings with burnished aquatint, drypoint and engraving 1797-98 on laid paper, without watermark a fine, uniform set from the First Edition published by the artist, Madrid, 1799, in an edition of approximately three hundred copies

very good to fine impressions printed in dark sepia printing sharply, with great contrasts and brightly wiped highlights, with the scratch on plate 45

the sheets loose, with wide margins

some minor foxing, otherwise in very good condition Plates 21,4 x 15,2 cm. (8 1/2 x 6 in.) (and similar)Sheets 28,8 x 19,3 cm. (11 1/3 x 7 2/3 in.) (and similar)(80).

Acquired from Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, circa 1990-95; then by descent to the present owners.