Auction Record Set

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:23 pm

Latest News

Acker smashes auction record
October 24, 2006
Howard G Goldberg in New York

With a US$24m sale Acker Merrall & Condit has smashed an auction record which has stood since 1999.

Grossing US$24,685,593 at its 20-21 October sale, the New York City house broke the US$14. 4m record Sherry-Lehmann With Sotheby's set at their Millennium Sale in November 1999.

The entire consignment of 2,310 lots, of which more than 94% were sold, was provided by a private owner.

It came from what John Kapon, Acker's president and auction director, trumpeted as 'arguably the greatest cellar on earth.'

Buyers who spent breathtaking sums might agree. Blue chips from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti dominated the 24 highest-priced lots, all going for six figures.

The single highest bid, US$161,325, bought a case of 1990 Romanée-Conti. After that came two cases of 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild, and one six-magnum case, for US$155,350 each.

A bidder paid US$149,375 for six magnums of 1962 Musigny vieilles vignes, Comte de Vogüé. A methuselah of 1978 Romanée-Conti fetched US$125,475.

Six magnums of 1947 Château Cheval Blanc found US$119,500. Six bottles of G Roumier's 1923 Bonnes Mares reached US$113,525. A case of 1947 Château Pétrus fetched US$101,575.

Three magnums of 1947 Chateau Lafleur brought US$77,675. Six magnums of 1961 Château Trotanoy went for US$59,750.

Billed as The Cellar II, the sale was held in an unusual venue, Café Gray, a star in the firmament of pricey new restaurants in the Time Warner Center on Manhattan's West Side.

With wines from the same source, at its Cellar I sale, held in January, Acker generated US$10,643,836, at the time the third-largest intake in auction history.

Derek T. · Post by **Derek T.** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:33 am

I'm going to show this to Jo to make her understand once and for all that my port buying strategy can in no way be considered exessive

Derek

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:29 am

Its interesting in all the articles on "new auction records" that I've read over the last 12 months or so, not one of them has ever mentioned Vintage Port.

So, it looks as though we are still in the lucky position of being fans of an underappreciated drink and able to grab bargains at great prices - what was it that Tom got? 6 bottles of 46 year old wine for £85!

I do find it slightly disappointing though that none of the auction articles or stories that I've seen have mentioned all the port rarities that have come onto the market in the last season. We had over a dozen Noval 1931, a couple of Naçional 1931's and some other hard to find things and not one mention of these ports.

Port is even lower profile than madeira in the auction news at the moment. Without Tom we'd never hear of any port auction headlines!

Alex

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:16 am

Shhh, don't tell anyone :twisted: we don't want prices to go up yet...at least till I get some good stuff in my cellar

Tom Archer · Post by **Tom Archer** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:49 am

Just had a quick look at the last Christies results - big increases on big name VP from '91,'94 & '97 - but this is prime retail stock for the Xmas market, so prices might settle in the new year...

Tom