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Damien Hirst Pill Cabinet Leads Phillips $1.4m 'Damien Hirst: Online Auction'

3 min read  ·  25 Oct 2024

Day in Day Out by Damien Hirst sold for $230,400.
Image courtesy of Phillips

Day in Day Out by Damien Hirst sold for $230,400. Image courtesy of Phillips

Damien Hirst's Day in Day Out (2003) was the headline sale at Phillips 'Damien Hirst: Online Auction' on October 25.

  • The sale totaled $1.4m (GBP1.08m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 47 works sold totaling $1.4m.
  • Estimates totaled: $758,100 (low) and $1.09m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 85% of the original 55 lots announced.

The star lot was: Damien Hirst, Day in Day Out (2003), which sold for $230,400, 787% above its $26,000 low estimate.

The outperformer sold for 787% above its low estimate. Damien Hirst, Day in Day Out (2003), sold for $230,400 ($26,000 low estimate).

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 28 works, or 60%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 18 works, or 38%, sold within their low and high estimate.
  • 1 works, or 2%, sold below their low estimate.
  • 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

8 works were bought-in, including: Damien Hirst, The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (2008), estimated at $19,500 (low) to $26,000 (high).

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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