With an overall result of € 1,9* million, the two day auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst made for the best result in this section for the last twenty years. The evening auction alone realized a stunning 74 percent sold lots and a quota of 128 percent*. The reason for this tremendous success is in “the very innovative catalog concept,“ said Robert Ketterer.

The introduction of the evening auction made for a jump start. A catalog was developed just for this particular event, with the objective to make the world of books, a world that usually requires a lot of expert knowledge, accessible to everybody. Numerous images, a clear structure with an optically pleasing arrangement of the various subject fields, as well as well-defined explanations aroused new interest. Robert Ketterer: “The cross-marketing concept begins to pay off, as we now not only address traditional book collectors but also private art collectors who also like new forms of investment.“

The “Buch der Chroniken und Geschichten“ by Hartmann Schedel, (lot 11) released in a strong contemporary coloring in Nuremberg in 1493 is the most richly illustrated incunable of all. Additionally, it contains the oldest printed map of Germany. Since this copy is very well-preserved and complete, it was no surprise that there were several five- and six-digit written bids, a lively auction room and 14 phone bidders from, among others, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Norway competing for this rarity. Called up at € 40.000, the bids soared immediately and the vehement bidding skirmish did not stop before it had reached heights of € 264.000*. Thus the chronicle was not only the auction’s most expensive book, it also realized the evening’s strongest increase.

Second place is for the main work of Hugo Grotius. His “De iure belli ac pacis libri tres“ (lot 62) climbed from a starting price of € 40.000 to the impressive result of € 126.000*, which was granted by the library Bibliotheek van Het Vredespaleis in The Hague. Now the first print of the first edition of the fundamental writing on international law, of which there is only one other copy in existence, can not only be admired in Oxford but also in the Netherlands.

Another top lot is Carel Allard‘s “Orbis habitabilis oppida et vestitus“ (lot 56), which went to the hands of a private collector in the Netherlands. With a result of € 42.000*, he stood his ground against a quite tough competitor from Northern Germany and can now call this extremely rare and splendidly colored copy his own.

Almost as expected, the “Postilla tatai esti...“ (lot 10) by Johnnaes Bretke went to a Lithuanian collector. He honored the extremely rare only edition of the comprehensive collection of Lithuanian sermons with a result of € 39.000* and thus doubled its estimate.

Another great increase was realized by “The whole art of navigation; in five books“ (lot 18) by Daniel Newhouse. Called up with € 11.000, the rare first edition, which has not been offered on the German auction market for sixty years, was not only extremely sought-after by German bidders, it also awoke a lot of interest abroad. A French antiquarian allowed a result of € 29.000* and thus relegated bidders from, among others, Great Britain to places second and beyond.

With a result of € 28.000* (starting price € 17.000) a remarkably well-preserved copy of the atlas of Germany by Joan Blaeu, adorned with 96 colored and gilt-heightened copper maps remained in Germany, while the first edition of a scientific tractate on the “French disease“, the syphilis, by Nicolaus Leonicenus went across the ocean to the USA. An antiquarian honored this medical text with a result of € 25.000* (starting price: € 20.000).

Much sought-after by half a dozen bidders was the first print of the Missale Romanum (lot 13) from the print shop of Georg Stuch, which was called up at € 6.000. A private collector from France had the longest staying power and won over his competitors with a result of € 20.000*.

The highlights of the auction of Maritime and Northern German Art, which preceded the Rare Books, were made by Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann and William Gaye York. While the “Garten auf Korsika“ (lot 1848) went to a Northern German gallery for € 11.280*, the “Flensburger Fregattschiff 'Peter Jordt'...“ sailed to New York for a result of € 8.400*. The starting price for each work was at € 7.000.

Some more interesting objects can be purchased in the post auction sale until 17 December 2010.

Since it was founded in 1954, Ketterer Kunst has been firmly established in the front ranks of auction houses dealing in art and rare books, with its headquarters in Munich and a branch in Hamburg. Gallery rooms in Berlin as well as representatives in Heidelberg and Krefeld have contributed substantially to the company's success. Ketterer Kunst has further rounded off its portfolio with the prestigious Ernest Rathenau Verlag, New York/Munich. In addition, exhibitions, special theme and charity auctions as well as online auctions are regular events at Ketterer Kunst. Robert Ketterer is auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst.

* The result is the hammer price + 20 percent buyer’s premium.
* The percentage indicates the ratio between starting price (limit price) and hammer price.