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Philip D. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Consulting Services
1425 Valley Road
(717) 390-9818
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603 (VOICE/FAX)
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY DEACCESSION SALES
The New-York Historical Society announced to all New York museums
and libraries in a 26 October 1994 New York State Museum Bulletin its
intention to sell deaccessioned collections that do not relate to the
institution's refined mission or that represent redundancies. Pursuant to
an agreement with the New York State Attorney General, The New-York
Historical Society sold a substantial portion of all collections earmarked
for sale at three auctions held in January 1995. In keeping with the
overall deaccessiong plan, the Historical Society has selected Swann
Galleries to sell library, print, and photographic materials, described
below, beginning in 1996. As before, these collections will be sold to
create a restricted endowment for care and maintenance of the Historical
Society's unparalleled collections.
The Historical Society maintains its commitment to keep materials
removed from its collections available to New York audiences. To encourage
New York museums, libraries, and archives to purchase these deaccessioned
items, The New-York Historical Society will allow qualified institutions
to buy anything to be sold at the low presale auction estimates as
determined by Swann Galleries, plus a commission payable to them. For lots
valued below $5,000, the commission will be 15 percent. For lots valued
between $5,000 and $10,000, the commission will be 5 percent. For lots
over $10,000, no commission will be charged. These special sales will run
for limited times before each group of items is advertised to the public
for unrestricted sale at auction. Some 24,000 items will be sold over a
period of about 30 months.
To participate in these special sales, New York public institutions
must first qualify. To do so, the institution should notify Swann
Galleries (address provided below) and Sean Delaney, Charities Bureau, New
York State Department of Law, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271, by 1
December 1995 that it may wish to participate. At that time, too, the
institution must indicate to Swann Galleries its areas of interest as
described in the listing below. If institutions fail to make their
intentions to participate known at this time, they will receive no further
information about subesequent sales. The New York State Attorney General's
Office, along with the Historical Society, shall make a determination as to
whether the institution shall be permitted to participate. Any approved
institution shall then be known as a "qualifying institution." The general
guidelines, as determined by the Attorney General along with the Historical
Society, for a qualifying institution are those museums, libraries, and
archives in New York State that:
a) are operated primarily for educational, cultural, scientific, historic,
or aesthetic purposes;
b) make available to the public the holdings in their collections on a
regular basis;
c) were formed or chartered as corporations pursuant to the New York
Education Law, or by special legislative enactment, or that are controlled
by the State of New York or a political subdivision thereof, or by an
agency of the State on New York or a political subdivision thereof; and
d) are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements for periodic
reporting to the New York State Education Department, the New York State
Department of Law and the Office of Charities Registration of the New York
Secretary of State.
Upon approval as a qualifying institution, Swann Galleries will
alert the institution as material in its field(s) of interest is being
prepared for sale and will provide detailed catalogue information
describing items of interest as well as other assistance required by the
potential buying institution. Qualifying institutions will be given a
two-week period from the time of notification to make their purchases,
after which all remaining items in that category will be sold by
unrestricted auction. Items must be paid for in full within thirty days of
the end of the two-week period.
If two or more qualified New York institutions wish to acquire the
same item or items, each institution will be informed and given opportunity
to increase its offer at customary bidding increments. If no institution
increases its offer, then the first institution that submitted its offer in
the two-week sale period shall be deemed the successful buyer.
Institutions that purchase items under this arrangement must agree to
retain ownership of the items for at least ten years.
To assist in all matters related to this special sale, Swann Galleries may
be reached at (212) 254-4710; fax (212) 979-1017; 104 East 25th Street, New
York, NY 10010.
Categories of Property to be sold:
* Printed and manuscript maps: Approximately 250 maps of Europe and
South America dating from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including a
small number of manuscript maps.
* Gen. John Watts de Peyster collection of Dutch and European
history: Approximately 1800 books dating from the 17th, 18th, and 19th
centuries.
* British and European books: literature, science, etc.: many
volumes published from the 16th through the 20th centuries.
* British and European periodicals, and official government records:
many volumes published from the 16th through the 20th centuries.
* British, French, and German almanacs dating from the 18th and 19th
centuries.
* Photostats of colonial American newspapers.
* Comic and science fiction books and magazines: 130 items.
* Children's books from the late 19th and early 20th century.
* Modern sheet music.
* Library and trade publications.
* Reference sets: 12 superseded sets representing 1100 volumes.
* Photographs: Cabinet cards; stereographs of America, Europe, Russia;
* Posters: 1890s American Art posters; Civil War, World War I, and
World War II posters.
* World War I sheet music.
* Miscellaneous graphics: 19th century American lithographs and wood
engravings; 6 A.J. Davis / Anthony Imbert lithographs; 49 Frederic
Remington wood engravings; 387 portraits of American presidents from the
19th and early 20th centuries; 18 naval and military portrait lithographs.
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