WHAT: When important sales of Judaica (Jewish religious or cultural artifacts) are compared, the Steinhardt sale at Sothebyβs in April 2013 trumps all.
Amounting to a whopping $8.5 million, the event remains the most valuable sale of Judaica, ever. One lot, the Mishneh Torah circa mid-1400s, sold pre-auction to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A lavishly decorated Esther scroll with an accompanying blessing sheet brought $653,000, and an Arts & Crafts Rookwood pottery vase decorated with the image of an Old World rabbi fetched $1,875.
MORE: With goods ranging from Jewish antiquity to the 20th century, the sale consisted of nearly 400 lots amassed during 30-plus years of collecting.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Dedicated high-quality collections built by knowledgeable collectors are catnip to institutions and serious collectors. Methodically gathered with input from experts, collecting at this level is for those with deep pockets.
HOT TIP: Long ago, a wise collector at this level told us: βBuy only what you like and know, and buy the very best you can afford.β
BOTTOM LINE: Judaica collections this important come to auction perhaps once or twice a century.
