PAI's Rare Posters Auction Nov. 15 Totals $1.3 Million; Rarities and Unique Works Spark Avid Bidding

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New York, NY, USA, November 25, 2020 -- Poster Auctions International’s (PAI) third sale of the year, on November 15th, finished at $1.3 million in sales. Auction LXXXII proved an ongoing passion for posters, as rarities and unique works sparked avid bidding.

Jack Rennert, President of PAI, said, “If we’ve learned anything about the year 2020, it’s that nothing is for certain. I had no real way of predicting how this sale would go, but I am so pleased with the results. Passionate collectors led to some really fantastic sales, and I am so grateful for their enthusiastic involvement.”

Across the span of the auction, numerous works garnered unexpectedly high winning bids. Howard Chandler Christy’s first design, Remember the Maine, from 1898, exceeded its estimate of $1,000-$1,200 by bringing in $4,800 (all results include the buyer’s premium). Fred Spear’s harrowing Enlist from circa 1917 achieved a win of $9,600 against an estimate of $3,000-$3,500. Similar excitement was evident for James Montgomery Flagg’s World War I designs: his iconic 1917 I Want You for U.S. Army was won for $9,000 (est. $7,000-$9,000), and the powerful 1917 Wake Up, America! was claimed for $7,800 (est. $5,000-$6,000).

Several designs for transit achieved impressive results. Edward Penfield’s circa 1895 Orient Cycles received a winning bid of $7,200 (est. $7,000-$9,000) and William H. Bradley’s luscious 1896 Victor Bicycles / Overman Wheel Co. totaled $21,600 (est. $20,000-$25,000). Pal’s 1899 Exposition du Cycle was won for $7,800 (est. $4,000-$5,000) and H. Gray’s 1899 Cycles Sirius was secured for $7,200 (est. $4,000-$5,000). Ernest Montaut’s circa 1909 automobile design Bayard received a win of $4,560 (est. $2,500-$3,000), Aldo Mazza’s 1910 Milano Circuito Aereo Internazionale soared to $10,800 (est. $10,000-$12,000), and an anonymous design from circa 1970, Pan Am / New York topped out at $4,800 (est. $1,200-$1,500).

Overall, works by Leonetto Cappiello did very well at auction, proving that the master is still legendary today. Of the 39 available lots, 77 percent were sold. Classics like his 1927 Cognac Monnet inspired ardor; that design secured a winning bid of $4,560 (est. $3,000-$4,000). His lovely 1929 La Menthe-Pastille fetched $10,800 (est. $10,000-$12,000). A rarer circa 1910 variant of his famous Cinzano, the Cinzano Vermouth was won for $11,400 (est. $6,000-$8,000). And a one-of-a-kind gouache and crayon drawing exceeded expectations: the ebullient Le Printemps : Maquette, from 1919, reached $16,800 (est. $10,000-$12,000). 

Other giants of poster design encouraged notable wins. Emil Cardinaux’s 1921 Sommer in der Schweiz was claimed for $5,280 (est. $2,500-$3,000); A. M. Cassandre’s circa 1930 Bergson : Maquette wowed collectors, bringing in a $5,520 sale (est. $4,000-$5,000). Léon Hingre’s decadent 1897 Théophile Roederer & Co. / Champagne claimed $5,040 (est. $2,000-$2,500). Pal offered another hotly desired work: his 1895 billboard, Lord John Sanger, sparked a frenzy, resulting in a winning bid of $10,200 (est. $4,000-$5,000). For T. A. Steinlen, all eyes were on his legendary Chat Noir, which was offered as a rare variant for the café’s reopening in 1896. Following active bidding, it was finally secured for $33,600 (est. $20,000-$25,000). 

Naturally, the masters of Art Nouveau continued to spark fervent bidding. For Alphonse Mucha, several lots provoked exciting results: his luscious 1896 Job captured $21,600 (est. $17,000-$20,000); his 1907 Slavia earned $10,200 (est. $6,000-$8,000). But collectors were most excited about his 1903 Northeast Bohemia Fair, which garnered a win of $20,400 (est. $14,000-$17,000). 

Rarities performed just as well for Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. A variant of the 1895 May Belfort—numbered 18 of 25 copies, hand-signed, and with the cat remarque—received a winning bid of $66,000 (est. $50,000-$60,000). The top sale of Lautrec’s work was also our top sale for the entire auction: the 1894 P. Sescau / Photographe. This printing included Lautrec’s remarque and his red monogram stamp; it is one of only two known copies in the world. Appropriately, it topped out at $114,000 (est. $80,000-$100,000). And two rare prints from Le Rire encouraged hardy competition: both images, from 1896, were estimated at $10,000-$12,000. But Au Moulin Rouge / Cha-U-Kao achieved a winning bid of $19,200, and Chocolat Dansant scored a $21,600 win. 

For lesser known artists, competition was still fierce. Eric’s mysterious 1961 Philips / Blue Hand secured a winning bid of $4,560 (est. $2,500-$3,000), and Lotti’s charming 1924 Le Dauré claimed $5,760 (est. $3,000-$4,000). In our British travel poster section, William H. Barribal’s 1925 Bridlington charmed collectors, amounting to a win of $7,800 (est. $8,000-$10,000). Jean Droit’s joyous 1934 The Belgian Coast was claimed for $9,000 (est. $8,000-$10,000), and G. Stanislaus Brien’s Moonlight Bathing on the East Coast received a $7,200 winning bid (est. $7,000-$9,000).

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About Poster Auctions International:

Poster Auctions International’s next sale will be held in New York on February 28, 2021. Consignments are accepted until December 15, 2020. Poster Auctions International is located at 26 W. 17th Street, New York, NY 10011. Tel: 212-787-4000 • email: info@posterauctions.com. To learn more, please visit www.posterauctions.com.