Resources
Guides for collectors and sellers.
Reading an auction result
Hammer price is the winning bid. Price realized usually includes the buyer’s premium and is what most houses publish. Bought in or unsold means the lot failed to meet its reserve. ArtSell shows prices in the original currency and converts to US dollars at the European Central Bank reference rate for the sale date.
Prints and editions
For prints and multiples, the edition size, impression number, publisher, printer and catalogue raisonné reference all affect value. Artist’s proofs (AP/EA) and printer’s proofs are typically outside the numbered edition.
Provenance
Keep receipts, gallery invoices, exhibition catalogues and correspondence. Labels on the reverse of a frame or stretcher can be important evidence — don’t remove them.
Condition
Common issues include craquelure, flaking, tears, discolored varnish, foxing on paper and light damage. A professional condition report from a conservator helps bidders bid with confidence.