Soviet Latest Morton & Eden Auction

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

Has anyone else noticed the results of the Morton & Eden (Sotheby?s) auction on the 26th?

Any reactions?

[Ed_Haynes]

Not yet, but off to look. Your reactions?

[Ed_Haynes]

First glance: I am speechless. Why did I not bid? Market saturation??

[Wild Card]

Hi Ed,

Similar reaction. I did bid and got two out of three. Should have bid more.

Why did it go like this? A very busy day here - will put some thoughts together

and post them later.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Actually Ed, I think that this is something akin to the ?Perfect Storm?; where, as I recall, three storm fronts converged on one point at the same time. In this case, we had:

1. The world economy and it?s effect on the collectables market. This has already been discussed adequately in other threads, so I won?t reiterate all of that here; but believe me, Gentlemen, it is affecting Soviet collectables

2. This auction came at the end of a series of auctions that did little to elicit wonder or generate enthusiasm - 31 Oct. Andreas Thies, 4/5 Nov. Gustav Tammann (UBS), 15 Nov. Carsten Zeige and then 22 Nov. Dr. Antonio Spada (San Giorgio). So, I am inclined to think that by the time that this auction came up a lot many collectors were experiencing an overload.

3. This overload is expressed (I think unintentionally) by your comment ?Why did I not bid??. In the past year, or so, I have read many depressing threads by good and sincere collectors saying something to the effect of ?Collecting Soviet has been fun and exciting, but not any more, I just can?t afford it. It?s been great, but so long guys, I?m out of here?. Others of us have been content to sit on the sidelines with a certain sense of bemusement and watch the big guys slug it out - so why bother bidding?

In a nutshell, that is what I think we are seeing here and now. Is it a sign of a new trend? Who knows? One can only hope that the inmates are no longer running the asylum.