The famed Peter H Frelinghuysen Jr Collection went under the hammer in Christie's final sale of Americana Week in New York.
The collection netted $1,109,250 in total, and was 95% sold by value and 85% sold by lot.
This helped boost overall sales at Americana Week up to $24,816,375. It was the highest total for Americana Week sales at Christie's since 2007 - great news for the markets.
"All the ingredients of success were in the saleroom today: excellent quality, great rarity and the provenance of a wonderful, old collection. And the market responded," said Becky MacGuire, Head of Chinese Export Art.
"There were multiple bids for nearly all lots, in person, on the phones, in the auctioneer's book and [online].
"Private buying was strong and included bidders from Europe, Asia and Latin America. Mr Frelinghuysen was a longtime, treasured client and we are extremely gratified by the results of his sale."
The participation of global buyers in Christie's sale demonstrates the ever-growing influence of collectors from emerging economies - like China, India, Russia and the Middle East - on the values of collectibles.
Americana Week demonstrated "the enduring excitement for rare and important artifacts in the Americana marketplace," said John Hays, Deputy Chairman of Christie's Americas.
 John James Audubon's illustrated Birds of America book sold for $7.9m |
"Enthusiastic participation... [and] competitive bidding in the sale rooms reflected the vibrancy and appeal of these collecting categories.
Big auction highlights included John James Audubon's illustrated Birds of America. It flew to $7.9m in Americana Week's rare book auction. You can read our full report on that sale here.
The $24.8m success of the week's auctions suggests that 2012 will be a great year for Americana collectibles.
We share Christie's passion for Americana - pieces related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the US - here at Paul Fraser collectibles.
And you don't need to be a millionaire to acquire unique pieces of US history. Great items we have for sale include a memorabilia item for President Abraham Lincoln's home.
It's priced at £3,500, and you won't find a piece like this anywhere else - follow this link to find out what it is.
In other news, a Sotheby's Americana Week auction set $1.14m firearms World Record.
Watch this space for more news from the Americana collectibles markets.
