Collectors, dealers, agents, auction houses and a few observers pick through the entrails of transactions and auctions seeking the portents of trends in the market. To many there is never enough information, and certainly not enough cogent information, to divine the future before it becomes the present.
The uncertainty is manifest in the frequently wildly erratic pre-sale estimates of auction companies. If they – and their consignors – had a clue what buyers’ attitudes were most transactions would fall within the estimate range.Yet a superficial look at 22 mostly US-based sales with published pre-sale estimated in 2015 shows the following rather scattershot result:
No Subscription? You’re missing out
Get immediate ad-free access to all our premium content.
Get Started
