Swann Galleries is Listed as the Dominant American Book Auction House in the $500 to $10,000 Range

The Americana Exchange, a well regarded San Francisco-based website that tracks book auction prices, recently released a detailed analysis of the 2008 market, covering 78 auction houses across the world, including all major American houses. According to their statistics, Swann was the dominant U.S. book auction house for the $500 to $10,000 range in 2008.

• Swann conducted 29 related auctions with 8,122 lots sold in 2008. This is the second-most of any house in the world, behind only one London house.


• Swann sold more lots in the $500 to $1,000 and $1,000 to $2,000 range than any American house.


• Swann sold more lots in the $2,000 to $5,000 range than any auction house in the world--by a wide margin.


• Swann sold more lots in the $5,000 to $10,000 range than any auction house in the world.


• In the highest range, $10,000+, Swann was third in the U.S. with 458 lots.

The Americana Exchange's analysis only covers what they consider book auctions, not art auctions. They included most of Swann's sales last year, including posters and photographs. Americana Exchange subscribers can view the supporting charts at the Americana Exchange's website.