40 Years of Auctions
A History of Reiss & Sohn in Letters from Our Customers and in the Mirror of the Press


1971
 1971
 1971


The first office in Mainz - Kirschgarten 19

Invitation to Auction Sale no. 1

The first record result - The 'Landnamabók' achieves DM 19,000

1971
 1972
 1975


A bidding battle at Reiss inspired the caricaturist

Auction Sale no. 4 - 'One of the most turbulent sales of the post-war period'

Reiss moved to Glashütten and cooperates with Detlev Auvermann

1976
 1988
 1988


'Godebert M. Reiss takes a trick'

'Book and business in Glashütten'

A well-rehearsed team since Auction Sale no. 1

1989
 1989
 1990


Auction sale 40 - The international breakthrough

Advertisement for Reiss-catalogues in Japan

Now in Königstein: 'One of the leading auction houses in Germany'

1991
 1992
 1993


Karl Marx is still highly valued at Reiss auctions

'Brother Diego's bedside reading': Copernicus' 'De revolutionibus'

One of the most successful sales in the company history: The Schönborn-Buchheim library

1993
 1994
 1994


The Schönborn-library, auctioned off 1993-1994, realized a total of 5 million DM

The most expensive print work ever sold at auction in Germany: A baroque French collective atlas

'A splendid bibliographical catalogue of great lasting value'

1997
 1997
 1998


'The object of desires appears only for seconds'

Maria Sibylla Merian's 'Insects of Surinam' achieved DM 90,000

An overexerted catalogue reader: 'Please send it to the Holy Father, who is able to read all this and always gives advice'

1999
 2001
 2002


The Princely Fürstenberg Library is on sale

The Reiss staff during an auction

The collection of the late industrialist and Bosch CEO Hans L. Merkle at auction

2003
 2005
 2005


A map of Cyprus realized € 88,000

'He who comes too late is punished by the hammer'

The Royal Garden Library formerly at Herrenhausen Castle is offered for sale

2005
 2006
 2007


An advertent customer discovered a hitherto unknown 'branch office' of Reiss & Sohn in Lisbon

Since 1999 Reiss also holds auctions of Old and Modern Art

The Royal Garden Library finally returns to Hannover

2008
 2009
 2010


'No trace of financial crisis at Reiss & Sohn'

'Captain Cook achieved record result': € 110,000

Mysterious letter from a 'Tibetan monk'