Author
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Topic: Any value/reason to keep auction catalogs?
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Dennis Beatty Member Posts: 356 From: Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 11-18-2014 02:50 PM
I have a large box full of old space related auction catalogs. Is there any value to these... or any reason to keep them? At one time I thought that it might be fun to compare prices over time, perhaps even write a book, but there are too many variables for me to juggle. (Size of item, condition, signature quality, placement, fading, authenticity, flat, rolled, smoke free home, etc. etc.) Anyway, before I recycle the catalogs, I thought that I should make this inquiry. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-18-2014 02:57 PM
quote: Originally posted by Dennis Beatty: At one time I thought that it might be fun to compare prices over time, perhaps even write a book...
I once had plans to undertake a similar project, but online as part of the resources here on cS. Little known fact: not only are the contents of the catalogs copyright of the auction houses, so are the auction results. They cannot be published in their entirety without permission of the auction houses, and several were not agreeable to having their catalogs incorporated into such a project. |
mf451 Member Posts: 61 From: NY, NY Registered: Nov 2014
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posted 11-18-2014 03:04 PM
I suppose there could be some value in tracking provenance of a specific item, if the item were unique enough to locate it in the catalogs. But for those rare/unique items, the history has probably been kept track of well enough already.Personally, I just like to peruse them every now and again. If you are going to toss them, and are inclined to ship them, I bet there would be a number of members here who would be willing to pay shipping costs for them. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-18-2014 04:25 PM
Provenance for items would certainly be one reason to keep old auction catalogues.But their primary purpose should be as a reference or guide to anybody wishing to value or appraise a particular item. Any appraisal or estimate is typically based on what a similar item has sold for previously and there aren't many items these days that come up for sale that have not been seen in auction at some point in the last 30 years or so. |
p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-18-2014 06:39 PM
I couldn't care less for what things sold for decades ago, nor would I understand why anyone else would care.That said, someone recently gave me a stack of auction catalogs and I cut out shots of flight gear, like flight suits and helmets as so few of that stuff is documented well in books. Some of these catalogs have really good photos. I recycled the rest of them once I was done with the scissors. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-18-2014 06:54 PM
quote: Originally posted by p51: ...nor would I understand why anyone else would care.
Last week, the first Hasselblad camera to fly in space sold for $275,000 after being sold once before in 1995, which is of interest to some... |
SpaceAholic Member Posts: 4437 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-18-2014 08:31 PM
quote: Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: Provenance for items would certainly be one reason to keep old auction catalogues.
What provenance is established beyond the fact that a given item was offered through an auction house? |
Steve Zarelli Member Posts: 731 From: Upstate New York, USA Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 11-18-2014 09:33 PM
I'm not sure it establishes true provenance, but it can establish a timeline of existence. I'm not sure it would have a lot of value in a lot of cases, but it may come in handy on occasion. For instance, if one could trace a certain item back to a particular timeframe, it may make it less likely to be a fake. |
spaced out Member Posts: 3110 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-19-2014 02:17 AM
Auction catalogs definitely have some reference value. If the content is maintained online a paper copy might seem redundant but in the long term there's no guarantee that an auction house will maintain an archive of previous sales.Being able to see examples of previous sales can be very useful for judging the value of similar items and being able to see the history of a particular item that may have been sold previously can also be interesting. The descriptions in auction catalogs sometimes contain details on the items or their provenance that would be difficult or impossible to discover otherwise. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-19-2014 12:04 PM
quote: Originally posted by SpaceAholic: What provenance is established beyond the fact that a given item was offered through an auction house?
Chain of ownership. |
SpaceAholic Member Posts: 4437 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-19-2014 07:58 PM
quote: Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: Chain of ownership.
Obfuscated by the auction process (generally the consignor and purchaser remain unknown). |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-19-2014 08:28 PM
All the more reason the sale history of an item can be important in establishing a chain of ownership, even if the identities of the owners are unknown. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-20-2014 02:44 AM
quote: Originally posted by SpaceAholic: (generally the consignor and purchaser remain unknown)
This is not always the case. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-20-2014 06:33 AM
I have a smallish collection of catalogues. As Rick says, they are a good resource that sometimes state provenance of an item and are sometimes useful to track down some items which have been offered previously. |
bunnkwio Member Posts: 113 From: Naperville, IL USA Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 11-20-2014 01:21 PM
If I lived anywhere near you, I would gladly take them off of your hands. I love seeing items previously available to the public prior to when I found out about cS. |