Author: reiss

The POST-AUCTION SALE of the Auctions 224-225 is available from now until 23 May.

Since January 2025, 7% VAT on maps, views and prints will apply to buyers in Germany.

Yesterday, May 07, 2025. – Day 2 of the extensive spring auctions began with a wide variety of books from various fields, such as Varia, architecture and old literature. From the afternoon onwards, the auction focussed on incunabula, manuscripts, old printed books and Reformation literature, which was extremely successful. This resulted in considerable increases in estimated prices. The richly illustrated Indian manuscript Hitopadesha (lot 631), a collection of fables and wisdom sayings, had already generated a great deal of interest beforehand, increasing its estimate of 20,000 euros by 275% to a hammer price of 75,000 euros. A pretty small-format book of hours in the style of the Ghent-Bruges school of painting was knocked down for 15,000 euros hammer price (lot 635). The incunabula section included some very early and rare Cologne prints, which were heavily bid for, especially online. Particularly noteworthy here was lot 685, a manuscript by J. Gerson, De efficacia orationis, printed by Cologne’s first printer Ulrich Zell around 1468: estimate 3,000 euros/supplement 7,500 euros. Also lot 694: Juvencus, Evangeliorum libri, Cologne 1500 (estimate 1,200 euros/surcharge 5,000 euros). The beautifully illustrated first edition of the treatise on the rosary brotherhoods ‘Liber fratenitatis rosaceae coronae’, Cologne, circa 1500, achieved a hammer price of 5,500 euros (estimate 1,800 euros, lot 705).

Rare and influential works were also valued in the Old Prints department and rewarded with high hammer prices. For example, lot 753: P. Crinito, Libri de poetas & De honesta disciplina. Two important and influential works of Italian humanism, in a rare first edition, in one volume (estimate 3,000 euro/surcharge 12,000 euro). Furthermore, the 12th German edition of the famous cosmography by Sebastian Münster from 1569, hammer price 10,000 euros/valuation 4,000 euros (lot 810).

The auction of books, atlases, prints and photographs from the geography catalogue 225 begins today, Thursday, and will continue until tomorrow afternoon: AUCTION CATALOGUE 225

Yesterday afternoon, a total of 296 books from the fields of technology, crafts, natural sciences, medicine, botany and zoology were called for in the auction room. As always, the bidders consisted of a mixture of telephone bidders, written bidders, live online bidders and room bidders. The biggest surprise of the day was certainly lot 81, T. Hagecius, Dialexis. A rare and important work on the ‘nova’ from 1572, with which Hagecius made a significant contribution to the acceptance of Copernican theories, was estimated at €4,000 and fetched a hammer price of a proud €18,000 after a bidding battle.

The ‘Gottorffische Kunst-Kammer’ by A. Olearius from 1674 (lot 45) also attracted numerous buyers worldwide and increased its estimate from 2,000 euros to a hammer price of 10,000 euros. In the same section, M. B. Valentinis’ ‘Museum museorum’ (lot 47), a description of curious and rare objects as well as overseas products, was also in great demand: estimate 4,000 euros/hammerprice 13,000 euros.

The top lot of the auction – A. Vesalius’ ‘De humani corporis fabrica’, Basel 1543, the first edition of this epoch-making work fetched a hammer price of 130,000 euros to a bidder on the telephone.

A. Rösel von Rosenhof’s ‘Insecten-Belustigung’ in beautiful old colour achieved 7,500 euros (hammer price/taxe 6,000 euros). Also worth mentioning is the magnificent work ‘Continuation der Nürnbergischen Hesperidum’ on citron, lemon and bitter orange fruits by J. C. Volckamer in the first edition (lot 294, hammer price 12,000 euros) and a splendid work on the flora of Hungary in 3 volumes by F. Waldstein, F. Graf & P. Kitaibel (lot 295/ hammer price 17,000 euros).

The auctions will continue until Friday with further sections from catalogues 224: Valuable Books and Manuscripts and 225: Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints. Register to take part in the live online LIVE AUCTION or visit us in the salesroom. AUCTION SCHEDULE

The catalogues for the next auction days, as well as the results, the session schedule and information on the various bidding options can be found as usual on our WEBSITE

We are pleased to announce our upcoming spring auctions. Two richly illustrated catalogues with more than 1920 lots are now accessible online or can be ordered in print:

Catalogue 224: Valuable books and manuscripts – with 1040 lots from the Middle Ages to modern times, including medieval prayer books and illuminated books of hours, incunabula and numerous early Cologne prints as well as rare first editions.

Catalogue 223: Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints – comprising 880 lots, including 60 atlases and town books. In addition, rare maps and rare works on Africa, America and Asia as well as splendidly illustrated works on geography and travelling to many parts of the world.

Our CATALOGUE PREVIEW with an extensive selection of objects from the upcoming auctions is now available online. The selection with descriptions and pictures will be regularly updated with further entries.

You can add objects of your interest to your personal bookmarks list (registration required). This will be retained when the auction catalogues are published. The catalogue preview can be sorted according to various criteria and is accessible via full-text search. There are different list views to choose from.

The total number of items on offer can be viewed when the auction catalogues are published approx. 4 weeks before the auction date. Bids cannot be accepted before the auction catalogues are published. We reserve the right to make changes to descriptions and images, to remove items from the catalogue preview and to make any other changes.

Successful Auction Year 2024 at Reiss & Sohn

Königstein/Taunus – Despite some economic turbulence in Germany and major geopolitical tensions in the world, the auction house Reiss & Sohn can look back on very good Auction season 2024 resulting on qualified consignments  and very active buyers. The great success of the autumn auctions made a particular contribution here. From 29 October to 1 November 2024, over 2160 lots were called over a total of four days. Overall, an increase in turnover of around 30% was achieved compared to the spring auction, with the total proceeds exceeding the total price of the lots offered by around 110%. 82% of the titles found a new owner, 450 lots had four-digit hammer prices and 37 lots had five-digit hammer prices. At the beginning of the auction week, the important library of Dr Friedrich von Bassermann-Jordan was auctioned off with the theme ‘Wine’. An international audience had travelled to the auction for this purpose, also on the telephone and of course live online at the computers, and helped numerous lots achieve phenomenal estimated price increases of up to 650%! In total, all 424 lots were sold and the total estimate was exceeded by almost 160%. Godinot’s ‘Manière de cultiver la vigne en Champagne’ from 1722 achieved one of the highest hammer prices of the wine auction at 22,000 euros. The very good hammer prices in the manuscripts section were certainly among the highlights of the other days.

Noteworthy here is the hammer price of 55,000 euros for a German manuscript on parchment, a Nuremberg prayer book for Apollonia Volckamer (Nuremberg 1500). Also worth mentioning is the hammer price of 30,000 euros for a magnificent contemporary anthology of astronomical, astrological and horological works by J. Schöner, P. Apian, S. Münster and others from the years 1533-45, some of them very rare. An Ortelius atlas with over 150 maps in splendid period colouring exceeded the estimate of 70,000 euros with 72,000 euros, while a rare mathematical-chemical work by Jeremias Benjamin Richter, his ‘Anfangsgründe der Stöchyometrie’ rose from 2,000 to 19,000 euros. You can find a detailed summary of the week under https://www.reiss-sohn.de/en/press/

Reiss & Sohn invites you to participate today with consignments for the next spring auctions in 2025 and to build on the successes of the last 50 years together with us! Whether you are interested in valuable individual pieces or extensive collections – our experienced team of experts will be happy to help you determine the value of your works and answer any questions you may have about consigning them in a personal meeting.

Reiss & Sohn completes successful auction week

The third day began with the auction of the children’s books section. Here, the particularly extensive section with ABC books in various languages was in high demand. For example, the ‘Nationen A.B.C.’ from 1825 realised a hammer price of 2400 euros (estimate 800), Campes’ “Neues Abeze- und Lesebuch mit vielen schönen Bildern” from 1807 was knocked down for 5500 euros and an extremely rare and very early textbook by G. P. Platz entitled ‘Sehr leichte neuerfundene Art, die Kinder das Frantzösische A, B, C. buchstabiren und die Ortographie besagter Sprache in kurtzer Zeit zu lehren’ is still very much in demand today and found its new owner after a bidding duel for 2000 euros (hammer price), far above the estimate of 800 euros.

The 883 lots of catalogue 223 ‘Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints’ were auctioned on the afternoon of the third day and on the fourth day. The only and extremely rare edition of one of the first scientific monographs on the Philippines, by J. Mallat ‘Les Philippines’ from 1846, doubled its estimate of 8,000 euros and was knocked down to a bidder on the telephone for 16,000 euros. Also noteworthy was the hammer price of 10,000 euros for a world map in 2 hemispheres ‘Nova totius terrarum orbis tabula’ by H. Hondius for J. Janssonius, Amsterdam, 1641.

A total of 20 lots with coloured floral engravings from B. Besler’s ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ were offered in the ‘Decorative Prints’ section on Friday morning and sold without exception. 7 further splendid sheets showing tulips from the ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ were also included in a sub-section of decorative prints with tulip depictions comprising 33 lots. Here, too, almost no sheet remained unsold. In addition to the old coloured copperplate engravings, the catalogue included 10 lots of fine watercolours created at the beginning of the 18th century. These unique pieces realised particularly pleasing hammer prices well above the estimate. The top result of 4500 euros (estimate 2000 euros) was achieved by a watercolour with an arrangement of 3 stems with tulip blossoms flamed in red and yellow, with a scroll and a small butterfly.

Reiss & Sohn looks back on a very successful autumn season 2024 and invites you to participate by consigning items for the next spring auctions in 2025.

The second auction day of the major Reiss & Sohn autumn auctions 2024 also ended with great success. On Wednesday, 633 books from the fields of law, astronomy, botany, old prints, incunabula, manuscripts and autographs, among others, were called. One of the highlights was the hammer price of 55,000 euros for a German manuscript on vellum, a Nuremberg prayer book for Apollonia Volckamer. (Nuremberg 1500). The first German edition of H. Schedel’s ‘Das Buch der Croniken und Geschichten’ (Nuremberg, A. Koberger, 23 Dec. 1493) was also convincing with a hammer price of 55,000 euros after a bidding war on the telephone. An extremely rare and remarkable manuscript with several important writings by the Roman philosopher Seneca ‘Epistolae et alia’ (spine title), probably from the first half of the 14th century, doubled its estimate and found a new owner for a hammer price of 42,000 euros.

Also worth mentioning is the hammer price for a magnificent contemporary Sammelband of astronomical, astrological and horological prints by J. Schöner, P. Apian, S. Münster and others from the years 1533-45 (hammer price 30,000 euros), as well as a copy of the summer part of the famous legends of the saints by the Dominican Jacobus von Voragine in a beautifully preserved German manuscript from around 1460-80 (hammer price 32,000 euros). The catalogues for the next two auction days, as well as the results, the meeting schedule and information on the various bidding options can be found as usual at our website.

Napoleon Bonaparte on champagne

Everyone who took part in the opening of this year’s autumn auctions in Königstein certainly deserved a large glass of champagne today. There were 424 lots from the important library of Dr Friedrich von Bassermann-Jordan with books from the 15th to 19th centuries, manuscripts, broadsheets and dissertations on viticulture, various wine-growing regions, wine production, the wine trade and other related topics. An international audience was present in the hall, on the telephone and of course live online at the computers and helped numerous lots to achieve phenomenal increases in estimated prices of up to 650%! Only a few title remained unsold. Godinot’s ‘Manière de cultiver la vigne en Champagne’ from 1722 achieved one of the highest hammer prices of the auction at 22,000 euros; it is probably the most important work from the beginning of the rise of champagne. One of the oldest wine books in the German language, the ‘Weinbbuch’ by J. Rasch in a beautiful anthology with other old prints on the subject, also realised 22,000 euros, a live bidder prevailed here.

The ‘Martilogiu(m) der Heiligen nach dem Kalender’, printed in Strasbourg by Johann Prüss in 1484, contains an early and beautiful depiction of a grape harvest. The hammer fell at 16,000 euros (estimate 8,000 euros). A rare edition of ‘Koch und Kellermeisterey’ (Frankfurt 1551) with old coloured woodcuts by Hans Brosamer was knocked down in the auction room for 12,000 euros. The auctions will continue until Friday with catalogues 222: Valuable Books and Manuscripts and 223: Geography – Travel – Atlases – Photography – Maps – Decorative Prints. Register to participate live online at the LIVE-AUCTION or drop by the auction room. AUCTION-SCHEDULE