Just in! Marquess of Downshire Scores at Sotheby's Sale!

Unlike the Earl of Devon, the Marquess of Downshire did very well at today's Sotheby's sale. As we previously reported, he was selling a document called "Engineering - The Draining of the Fens". The item had a guide price of ₤20,000-₤30,000, but it sold for a remarkable ₤35,000.

Well done!

It must be said that most items at today's sale went unsold, while others barely reached their minimum guide price. The market seems to be skewed towards buyers, so our aristo's would be advised to keep the family silver at home until the market recovers in their favor. But when you need the money, you need the money...

Aristocrats Sell Items at Sotheby's

It seems the Earl of Devon isn't the only aristo with apparent financial woes...

As we've stated before, the Earl of Devon is parting with family treasures at Sotheby's July 14, 2009 sale. The Marquess of Downshire is also selling an engineering document entitled THE DRAINING OF THE FENS at this auction.
THE DRAINING OF THE FENS has a minimum guide price of ₤20,000. To see the item, click here.

Tomorrow (July 7, 2009), the trustees of the 2nd Baron Hesketh are selling Gabriel Metsu's painting entitled "A Woman Selling Game From A Stall". The minimum guide price is ₤1,200,000. Click here to see the item.

With these current sales, it makes us wonder if our aristo's are being beaten by the current financial crisis. We've heard that the art market it picking up, so maybe the aristo's are selling these items at the perfect time. We'll see.

The Aristo News won't be able to attend tomorrow's auction, but we'll keep you posted on the final sale price.

As for the July 14th auction, we'll keep you posted.