Banksy Leads Christie's Online $1.69m 'Contemporary Edition' Auction

A work by Banksy was the headline sale at Christie's Online 'Contemporary Edition' auction on October 1.

• The sale totaled $1.69m (GBP1.27m), falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 109 works sold totaling $1.69m.
• Estimates totaled: $1.84m (low) and $2.8m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 74% of the original 147 lots announced.

The star lot was: Banksy, Girl with Balloon (2004), which sold for $252,700, 28% above its $197,000 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 413% above its low estimate. Tracey Emin, Birds 2012 (2011), sold for $20,200 ($3,940 low estimate).

• 40 works, or 37%, sold above their high estimate.
• 44 works, or 40%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 25 works, or 23%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

37 works were bought-in, including: Banksy, Kate Moss: Green, Hair Turquoise Blue (2005), estimated at $105,100 (low) to $157,600 (high). It has been traded twice in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Banksy, Jack and Jill (Police Kids) (2005) estimated at $15,800 (low) to $23,600 (high).

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.