WELCOME – Book Auctions

Consignment offers to our future Auctions
in Spring 2022 always welcome

From our coming Spring Sales:
Latin Psalter with Calendar. Flanders, c. 1280
Due to Covid-19 situation our Auction Sales 205-207, October 26-29, 2021 will be taking place BEHIND CLOSED DOORS without hall audience. Visits according viewing plan strictly by appointment only. Please submit bids via our web-catalogue, fax or telephone. For direct online participation via our website please register here cost-free for live bidding online.
Due to the Covid-19 situation personal visits in our premises are possible strictly by appointment only.
From our past sale 205, lot 31:
L. Stöer. Geometria et perspectiva.
Augsburg 1567
Result 65.450 € (incl. BP)
From our past sale 205
Cyprus. Lafreri.
Resullt 47.600 € (incl. BP)

Auction Sales 205-207

Due to the Covid-19 situation personal visits in our premises, including viewing, are possible strictly by appointment only. We wish to draw your attention to the many images in the web catalogue. Do not hesitate to ask for additional information. Pre-Viewing of lots via safe live-stream transmission upon request, limited time slots.

Due to the current restrictions we recommend to submit your absentee bids either in writing or directly via our web catalogue. Alternatively you participate in our auction directly via our “Live-bidding” system on our website (cost-free) or you participate via telephone. Please visit ou website for regular updates concerning Covid-19 situation.

Reiss & Sohn was founded 1971 and is a specialized company for auctioning, buying and selling of rare antiquarian books, manuscripts, maps, prints and photography. Read more about the company

Next book auctions: rare books, manuscripts and maps taking place april 28th-30th 2020. Consignment offers welcome now.

Items from our anniversary auction catalogue spring 2021

1,28 Mio € – Highest ever Auction Result for a Printed Book at a German Auction

At an auction sale of Reiss & Sohn in 2017 the very first printing of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses”, published in 1517 and marking the beginning of the protestant reform was called up at an estimated price of

150,000 €. After a fierce bidding contest between room and telephones this “milestone-of-printing” went to a proud buyer who participated by telephone and realized a total of 1,28 Mio €, a record price in the history of German book auction sales.

We are happy to receive consignment offers for our autumn sales 2021. Please direct all offers in written form or give us a call.

Your reliable business partner for valuable books, manuscripts and maps – Book auctions since 1971

News

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1 Million for “Rudimentum Novitiorum”

The second part of the jubilee book auctions under the motto “1971-2021, 50 years of REISS & SOHN auctions” closed successfully on October 29th. The most expensive piece of the auction, the important universal chronicle “Rudimentum novitiorum”, from the year 1475 in an illuminated copy, reached a total of 1.000.000 € (all prices incl. buyer’s premium). The masterpiece of geometrical book illustration by Lorenz Stöer, his “Geometria et Perspectiva”, printed in Augsburg in 1567 went for 65.450,- € to

a private collector. Thus only the 40 items in the special catalogue, of which 32 were sold, realised over 1.5 Mio €.
This important auction event was followed by the sale of 3000 lots in a 4 day sale marathon with numerous further hightlights. The results for the three editions of the Biblia graeca-latina by Erasmus of Rotterdam were a pleasant surprise. The first edition of the New Testament in its original language “Novum instrumentum omne, diligenter ab Erasmo Roterodamo recognitum & emendatum” in a Basel printing from 1516 achieved 71.400 ,- € (estimate 12,000) after fierce bidding contest. The second edition of the work, also printed by Froben in Basel, in 1519, soon followed and tripled the estimate at 21.420,- €. The fourth edition sold for 2618,- €. A Latin manuscript on parchment of the bible resulted in 83.300 € . A two-volume coloured Biblia Germanica, printed in Augsburg on Jan. 27, 1518, brought 30.940 € far more than the expected 10,000 € estimate. The first edition of the famous “Traumdeutung“ by S. Freud, one of the most widely read and influential books of the 20th century, changed ownership for 15.470 €.
An extremely rare broadsheet with an engraved map of Cyprus by A. Lafreri, printed in Rome, 1570 was sold in an exciting bidding contest between telephone bidders and online live bidders for 47.600 €. Also worth mentioning is the result of 35,700 € for the work of P. Goos “De Zee-Atlas, ofte Water-Wereld”, a magnificent and early Dutch sea atlas with 40 maps from 1669. The first four volumes of the most famous of all city books “Civitates Orbis Terrarum” by G. Braun and F. Hogenberg (published ca. 1575-1600), with over 226 splendid old coloured views and plans of numerous major European cities, found a new home at 77.350,- €. Reiss & Sohn, specialized book auctioneers in Koenigstein im Taunus, is looking forward to receive consignment offers for the spring auctions 2022.

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Autumn Sale Catalogues 2021 online

The catalogues of the autumn book auctions in the Reiss & Sohn jubilee year are now online. The auction house, which was founded in 1971 in the Gutenberg city of Mainz, offers around 3,000 rare books, manuscripts, atlases and maps as well as graphic art and photography. Collectors can look forward to many scientific highlights such as the first printing of Galileo Galilei’s famous “Dialogo” from 1632 (estimated price 100,000 Euros). The most expensive and certainly most spectacular piece is the important universal chronicle “Rudimentum novitiorum”, from 1475 in an illuminated copy (1,2 million Euros estimate). Another very rare work offered is Lorenz Stöer’s “Geometria et Perspectiva”, a most beautiful masterpiece of book illustration, printed in Augsburg in 1567 (50,000 Euros estimate). In addition to the otherwise rich offerings some special collections on national economics, on philosophy and on the Reformation, as well as a remarkable series of 60 atlases are forming focal points of the auction event, which runs over 4 days.

Rudimentum novitiorum. Lübeck 1475
Rudimentum novitiorum. Lübeck 1475
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Successful Book Auctions – To Be Continued

Reiss & Sohn, the Königstein/Taunus based book auction house finished an extremely successful spring season. Three anniversary auctions presented in 3 catalogues met with world wide interest. Highest result of the sale was achieved for 2nd edition of Nicolaus Copernicus’ “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium”, Nürnberg 1566. The work marks a turning point towards modern science. After starting at € 130,000 a fierce bidding contest ended with a result of € 261,800. An auction review of the entire sale can be found here. Reiss & Sohn is now ready to accept consignments for the anniversary sales in October 2021.