Christie's - Arms and Armour from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Part I

Key Insights

• 100% Sell-Through Rate: Demonstrates exceptionally strong buyer interest in arms and armor artifacts, likely due to the rarity or exceptional quality of items offered, appealing to specialized collectors or institutions.
• High Average Lot Value: With an average price of nearly $187,500 per lot and a total auction value of over $6.5 million, the collection suggests a market with significant purchasing power, interested in high-caliber collections of historical artifacts.
• High Market Value for Historical Pieces: Top lots, like Lot 33 reaching a hammer price of $1,000,000, highlight the premium that collectors are willing to pay for pieces with significant historical attachments, indicating a robust market value for artifacts linked to notable figures or periods.
• Variability in Hammer Prices Reflects Diverse Collector Interests: The broad range of hammer prices, from $550,000 to as low as $125,000, suggests that collector interest and valuation can vary widely based on factors like rarity, cultural significance, and the historical period of the artifacts, with Roman and Greek items performing particularly well.
• Market Driven by High-End Artifacts: The financial success of the auction being predominantly driven by sales of items exceeding $100,000, and a substantial interest in mid-to-high-end artifacts ($50,000-$100,000), indicates a focused buyer base willing to invest in historically significant or better-preserved pieces. This trend underscores the importance of rarity, historical importance, and preservation in determining the value of ancient arms and armor.