New-York tribune., 1912-01-17
ERRORS AS TO HOE MSS
Their Presence in Catalogue
Causes Drop in Values.
HIGHEST PRICE is $4,000
Total of Sales for Day Is S1O1,
288, and for Entire Sale,
$1,605,836.

disappointment met those who visited
the sale OF the Robert Hoe library. at the
Anderson Auction Galleries, last night
with the idea of deriving a thrill of pleas
ure from watching thousands of dollars
thrown away with a wink of the eyend or
"A wave OF the hand. IT was prophesied on
all side on Monday that sl25,000 would be
reasonable total for the evenings sales.
Arthur Hoe, son Of the printing press
manufactures, was quoted as saying that
one of the Illuminated manuscripts to he
Knocked down should bring $4,000, any
way. perhaps more When the evening
was over the highest price that had been
bid was $4,000 and the total for the ses-
sion had failed to reach $4,000.
Several reasons were advanced by the
dealers present for this unexpected drop In
values. Some loosely laid 1t to the alb
sence of George d. Smith. the New York
dealer, who broke the worlds record al the
first part of the sale with a bid of $4,000
for the Gutenberg Bible. Mr.. Smith was
held away on important matter elsewhere,
his assistant, Robert Rose explained.
Mr.. Rose was of the opinion, however,
that the few remarks with which Major
Turner opened the evening session had
something to do with the prices. explain
ing that the investigation into the authen-
ticity OF the manuscripts had not been
stopped with the printing OF the catalogue
some time ago. The major told OF several
errors which had since been revealed.
Three Of these enhanced the value OF the
volumes "A bit, three were OF minor i'm
of
nature, showing one Of the finer manu-
scripts to be, in part at least a modern
production.
In the face OF these matters It neverthe-
less happened that the daily record for this
part Of the sale was completely demolished
The evening session, OF course with its
manuscripts dating from the thirteenth
fourteenth and later centuries, was largely
responsible for the jump forward II con-
tributcd S79,7S3 out OF the days total Of
Nol,2SS, The total f. the entire sale now
stands at Sl.GO5, S36.
Bernard Quaritch. the London dealer, bid
ding iu person FOR the first time during
Part >. captured the costlest book OF the
evening. It was a product of the school Of
Tourain". particularly interesting for the
glimpscs into fifteenth century life which
It's thirty-ninc large miniatures gave.
The manuscript which Major Turner
as partly modern was one
which purportcd TO spring from the Low
Countries and bore the date 1924. Twenty
four miniatures in the borders Of the cal
cndar showed the occupations and sports Of
the months while twenty-seven larger ones
depicted Salome receiving the head OF John
the Baptist 81. Francis Of Assist undergo
ing the stlgmata and other Biblical scenes.
It was thought that this might bring as
high as $1,000 Instead, 1t went for 5000
Quaritch being the buyer
Iu talking Of the evening prices Mr.. QUA
ritch said: II thought them exceptionally
That's what we like-low prices
But there has been no drop in them; they're
still going up steadily. one Of these manu-
scripts which ! bought twenty years ago
for TO sold tonight for about 5000"
The manuscript to which the London
dealer referred was the Hours OF the
Hahert du Berry d'Artois Family" II was
bought for S7,lOO by Or. W. *. Richardson.
of Boston. who had made a brave attempt
at the prize Of the evening with an offer
OF $500